People with an agility-oriented mindset recognize the power of collective thought and therefore welcome diversity of thought. This brings creativity into problem-solving, enhances learning, and significantly reduces risks in decision-making.

Lack of diversity often leads to "groupthink," which can lead to suboptimal decision-making. According to Psychology Today, "Groupthink occurs when a group with a particular agenda makes irrational or problematic decisions because its members value harmony and coherence over accurate analysis and critical evaluation. Individual members of the group are strongly discouraged from any disagreement with the consensus and set aside their own thoughts and feelings to unquestioningly follow the word of the leader and other group members. In a groupthink situation, group members refrain from expressing doubts, judgments or disagreement with the consensus and ignore any ethical or moral consequences of any group decision that furthers their cause."

Having a culture where people feel "safe" about expressing their views, that is, without the fear of being judged, and where everyone believes that they have an equal voice on the table are the key enablers to minimizing "groupthink." While expertise in a given area, as well as past experience, is certainly important, in an era where having to frequently deal with unprecedented situations is a stark reality, a fresh perspective can provide a point of view which an expert is likely to miss.

The ability to embrace diversity of thought reflects that the people in a company are open to their existing knowledge and beliefs being challenged, and more importantly, are open-minded enough to keep their biases and mental models aside when they come across a totally different perspective. It also implies that they will respect the decision of the majority, even if their point of view is not accepted as the way forward. The team may ask for a person outside of the team to facilitate a discussion, if they believe that the discussion topic is sensitive and a neutral person can help in objective evaluation of diverse opinions and alternatives.