The Women in Transport book club will be celebrating its one year anniversary this spring, and what a year it has been. Women from around the UK have joined us every few months - here’s what they’ve told us so far: Full of ‘passionate and honest discussion’ in a ‘safe environment.’ Book club ‘motivates me to read something new’ and exchange with others at ‘engaging, thought-provoking sessions.’
We hope you’ll be motivated to read with us for the spring 2021 session where we will discuss Rebel Ideas: The power of diverse thinking by Matthew Syed. A Times columnist and popular podcaster, Syed argues for the importance of seeking out differences in perspective, insights, experiences and thinking styles. The book goes beyond pushing for diversity out of political correctness, and describes why it is a fundamental pillar of successful teams and companies.
When people from a singular background are placed into a decision-making group, they are liable to become collectively blind.
We will explore the book's themes through group discussion, including:
How can we break out echo chambers of thought?
How many of the meetings you participate in truly gather diverse input?
How can you develop an ‘outsiders mindset’?
What have you seen or experienced more - incremental innovation or recombinant innovation (i.e. combining ideas from two fields)?
Where do you see potential for applying rebel ideas in your work or team?
All members are welcome, even if you’ve never participated in a book club previously. If you are curious about our previous book discussions, check out these blog posts from past sessions. We are currently planning for quarterly meetings so if you are interested but can't make this session, you are welcome to join us at the next one.
The book club is only open to Women in Transport members. If you are not a member of Women in Transport and would like to join or find out more, click here.