The difference : how the power of diversity creates better groups, firms, schools, and societies / Scott E. Page.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [377]-410) and index.

Prologue : how diversity trumps ability : fun at Caltech -- Introduction : unpacking our differences -- 1. Diverse perspectives : how we see things -- 2. Heuristics : do the opposite -- 3. Interpretations : our own private flatland -- 4. Predictive models : judging books by their covers -- 5. Measuring sticks and toolboxes : calipers for the brain -- 6. Diversity and problem solving : Darwin's brass tacks -- 7. Models of information aggregation : mindless signals -- 8. Diversity and prediction : the crowd of models -- 9. Diverse preferences : why Tapas -- 10. Preference aggregation : four (not so) depressing results -- 11. Interacting toolboxes and preferences : go ask Alice -- 12. The causes of cognitive diversity : family vacations, college, or identity? -- 13. The empirical evidence : the pudding -- 14. A fertile logic : putting ideas to work -- Epilogue : the ketchup questions.

"In this landmark book, Scott Page redefines the way we understand ourselves in relation to each other. The Difference is about how we think in groups, about how our collective wisdom exceeds the sum of its parts. Why can teams of people find better solutions than brilliant individuals working alone? And why are the best group decisions and predictions those that draw upon the very qualities that make each of us unique? The answers lie in diversity - not what we look like outside, but what we look like within, our distinct tools and abilities."--BOOK JACKET.