In this Project Social blog post series my team mates and I tackle diversity. Over at ‘Working Gal’ Laura Schroeder talks about how diversity affects performance and Dave Ryan over at ‘HR Official’ has his say about the importance of ever-changing diversity. I thought I would reflect on diversity as a away to inspire strategic thinking.
I feel diversity education is one of the most powerful ways to alter corporate culture and open dialogue for innovation. We all see ourselves through our own life filter. It is only human to be surrounded by the familiar. People who share culture tend to gravitate to each other. That cultural thread can be rooted in our gender, sexual orientation, the color of our skin, our educational background even the regions we live in. And those simple threads create the structure for bias, even outright hate. And I believe these biases truly stifle thinking and hold back our ability to innovate.
Diversity is Strategic & Global
There is a lot of different flavored bacon out there. Imagine if we tried to understand each process that creates the smoky flavor or thick crispness. And then we set out to blend some of those individual flavor profiles to formalize a unique solution. Just like fusion foods, a diverse solution can alter trends. Imagine what a diverse workforce can bring to a company or organization?
Some define diversity as a way to create uniformity of thought. But, in the context of problem-solving seeing the world from someone else’s point of view in a respectful dialogue the opportunity for innovation emerges that can transform products to change lives. Divergent cultures are what make America unique. It is the foundation of our corporate innovation in the current global economy.
My Diversity Education
Joe Gerstandt has an awesome slideshare from SHRM 2011 that illustrates the huge performance benefits of a diverse workforce. I encourage you to visit it here.
This is the diversity book I am reading now on my Kindle Reader: “The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools and Societies”
I Leave You With Some Diversity Quotes
Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.
Malcolm Forbes
Diversity in the world is a basic characteristic of human society, and also the key condition for a lively and dynamic world as we see today.
Jinato Hu
It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
Maya Angelou
2 Responses
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H. R. Official » Diversity Made Simple Says:
[...] Working Girl blog and check it out, and you can find out Lyn Hoyt’s take on it over at her blog the HR Bacon Hut. Photo Credit David [...]
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Dave Ryan Says:
Nice analogy of bacon to society – way to work it girl!
