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In an industry driven by engineering precision, performance metrics, and relentless innovation, it’s easy to assume that the smartest individuals deliver the smartest results. But what if intelligence alone isn’t enough?
In Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking, author Matthew Syed presents a powerful case: when teams lack diversity of thought, they fail to spot blind spots, challenge assumptions, or spark meaningful breakthroughs. True innovation, he argues, doesn’t come from a collection of brilliant minds who think alike — but from those who think differently.
And that’s exactly the kind of transformation the automotive industry needs.
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Syed’s central thesis is simple yet profound: homogeneous groups are prone to collective blindness, especially when facing complex, unfamiliar challenges. Even high-performing teams — when made up of people from similar backgrounds, cultures, or ways of thinking — are more likely to reinforce each other’s biases than to challenge them.
In contrast, cognitively diverse teams (those composed of people with different perspectives, experiences, and problem-solving approaches) are more resilient, more creative, and better equipped to solve the problems others can’t even see.
This isn’t about optics. It’s about outcomes.
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Identity Diversity vs. Cognitive Diversity: What's the Difference?
Identity Diversity includes demographics like gender, ethnicity, age, and cultural background. It drives representation and inclusivity but doesn’t always predict how people think or approach challenges.
Cognitive Diversity: Cognitive diversity refers to variations in how people think and process information, especially in novel, uncertain, or complex situations. Encompasses differences in knowledge processing (e.g., leveraging existing expertise vs. generating new ideas) and perspective (e.g., individual expertise vs. group synthesis)
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The automotive sector is undergoing seismic change. From electrification and digitalization to supply chain resilience and sustainability, the challenges ahead are complex and interconnected.
What we need now isn’t just efficiency — it’s vision. And vision doesn’t come from echo chambers.
Yet too often, leadership teams and decision-makers still reflect a narrow slice of the industry. When we surround ourselves with people who think like us, we don’t just miss out on fresh ideas — we risk repeating the same mistakes.
At the Women Automotive Network, we’ve seen the power of diversity firsthand: individuals stepping into leadership for the first time, allies challenging the status quo, and companies reimagining what’s possible when they center people — not just profit — in their strategy.
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At this year’s Europe Summit, speaker Joachim Rottenberg, Executive Advisor and keynote voice in the automotive deep-tech space, will join us to share how transformation demands more than just technical upgrades.
“To meet today’s market and geopolitical challenges, we must dismantle long-standing silos—across internal domains like sales, engineering, cockpit, connected services, software, customer experience, aftermarket, and finance—and also between OEMs and suppliers,” says Joachim.
“Collaboration must become the new default. And more than that, we need to foster a culture of diversity and coopetition: where different perspectives, functions, and even competitors come together to accelerate innovation and unlock new value.”
It’s a powerful reminder that diversity — in teams, in leadership, and in thought — is a vital force for resilience and creativity. When we bring together varied voices and lived experiences, we create better products, smarter systems, and stronger organizations.
“That’s why this Summit matters,” Joachim adds. “I'm excited to help spark the dialogue, challenge the status quo, and advocate for the bold collaboration we need to shape the future of mobility — together.”
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We’re bringing together women, allies, and industry leaders from across the mobility sector to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and explore what’s next for automotive. And we’re doing it by centering the very thing Syed champions: diverse thinking.
From breakout sessions and keynote panels to mentorship conversations and networking opportunities, every moment is designed to move beyond the obvious and into the bold.
Because when we gather people with different skills, stories, and perspectives, we don’t just build better vehicles — we build a better industry.
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