Two's Company: How Academic Diversity in Dyads Enhances Divergent Thinking

Abstract

Group diversity is an active topic in research as studies examine how differences in background, culture, job position, gender, and ethnicity can all impact group creativity. One relatively overlooked component is how diversity in academic knowledge affects group and individual creativity. In this study, 56 graduate students from a research university in the United States were paired into a dyad with another academically similar or diverse student. They then took the Alternate Uses Test (AUT) alone, as a team, and then alone again. The AUT was used to obtain three divergent thinking scores—fluency, flexibility, and originality. The scores were analyzed to determine if graduate students in academically diverse dyads worked better together (and, subsequently, alone) compared to academically similar dyads. The results showed that academically diverse dyads had significantly higher scores on originality for both increases in individual task scores and the team creativity task, as well as higher fluency scores compared to academically similar dyads. In addition, the results suggest that academically similar and diverse dyads demonstrate varying patterns of fluency and originality scores over time. Results indicated that embracing academic diversity can lead to both dyads and, subsequently, individuals being more productive in generating novel ideas.