The value of diverse teams has been well documented in recent years, but discrimination still remains an issue throughout organizations. As such, new research from Northwestern helps to reinforce the point nicely for those who remain unconvinced.

The study looked at the effectiveness of research teams and found that mixed-gender teams were more likely to produce innovative and impactful research than same-gender teams.

Good science

The researchers used AI to infer the gender of scientists who had produced papers across thousands of journals since 2000. They were then able to quantify the gender ratio of the research team. Each research paper was then measured according to its novelty and impact, with these measured by the combination of ideas in new ways and the number of citations respectively.

The results show that mixed-gender teams produced research that was both more novel and more impactful than the typical research team, with the best teams having a 50:50 split of men and women in them.

“These are interesting and important findings, not only for recognizing the contributions of women in science — and women and men working together — but also for improving science,” the researchers explain. “Chances are, if we had more mixed-gender teams working on pressing issues, we’d have faster breakthroughs.”

What’s more, the success of the mixed-gender teams was not dependent upon the gender of the team’s leader, as mixed teams did better than homogenous teams regardless of the gender of the leader. Similarly, mixed-gender teams were also cited equally by others in their field, which is another benefit, as there have been previous suggestions that men are more likely to cite other men.

While it’s not immediately clear why mixed-gender teams are so effective, the researchers speculate that it could be due to an ideal interpersonal dynamic within the teams that encourages divergent thinking. Regardless of the reasons, they believe that scientists might want to think more seriously about the gender balance of their teams in the future.

“If we believe that the aim of science is to solve problems, from emerging infectious diseases to climate change, this is good evidence that diversity and inclusion aid science and innovation, fairness and equality,” they conclude.