Diversity – all dancing to the same tune?
If you’re hoping for a piece containing all the latest juicy gossip about the Britain’s Got Talent winning dance group, I am sorry I will have to disappoint you. But it is a great excuse for a picture!
My husband shared a link to an article from the Harvard Business Review this morning (How to Hire by Patty McCord from the January-February 2018 issue), which reminded me that I had been meaning to write this piece for a couple of months now.
The key thing that has reignited my fervour for this subject was the point in there about companies’ desire to hire people with the right “cultural fit”. To quote Ms McCord “What most people really mean when they say someone is a good fit culturally is that he or she is someone they’d like to have a beer with.” You might ask what has this got to do with diversity?
Let’s first consult the Cambridge Dictionary (other dictionaries are available):
DIVERSITY
noun
UK /daɪˈvɜːsəti/ US
[ U ] HR, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
the fact of there being people of many different groups in society, within an organization, etc.:
We are an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity in the workplace.
the fact of there being many different things existing together in a group:
There seemed to to be an infinite diversity of possibilities.
the fact that there are many different ideas or opinions about something:
There is a wide diversity of opinion on the question of unilateral disarmament.
More examples
- She teaches the students to have respect for different races and appreciate the diversity of other cultures.
- The wonderful diversity of our region’s wildlife is now coming under threat.
- I find the enormous diversity of life on earth quite overwhelming.
- I’d like the show to reflect the diversity of talent we have here at the college more fully.
- It is a city of huge musical and artistic diversity, where every taste is catered for.
In general it would seem that diversity, whether it is bio-diversity, cultural diversity, diversity of taste or talent or anything else, is a desirable quality. It prevents everything and everyone being the same, and everyone liking the same things. To batter a metaphor slightly, it really is the spice of life. Many companies are keen to emphasise that they value diversity, and that they are inclusive employers. Many can point to the fact that they have employees from many different backgrounds, with different nationalities, religions, sexual orientations, gender identifications, dietary preferences… The list goes on. So why is it important to hire the people who are of the “right” cultural fit ie those that they would like to go for a beer/ non-alcoholic beverage with?
What I think we are really talking about here is diversity of opinion. This is an entirely more uncomfortable area. It is very easy to work with, get along with, or have an appropriate beverage of choice with people who fundamentally share the same values and opinions as you. I’m not saying that there aren’t people who enjoy sitting in a pub having a spirited debate over a beer or two (please take the liberty of inserting your own preferred hostelry and choice of beverage if necessary from here on in. If I try to be overly inclusive all the way through this, it’s going to be a really long read!). But disagreeing with people all day, every day is tiring. Believe me!
Opinions, and the values that we attach to them, can be powerful drivers in who we are and who we aspire to be. We can easily perceive anyone having a differing opinion, and perhaps expressing it with the same passion we are inclined to afford our own view, as launching an attack on us personally. This is sometimes tempered by how much we value the person of the opposing viewpoint, our relationship with them, and how many other issues on which we might agree. In the extreme, such situations have fostered conditions which lead to wars.
Dialling it down a little, I have known people who have felt it necessary (even in these modern, forward-looking, inclusive and diversity-loving days) to hide political opinions or the way they have voted on particular issues (notably Brexit) from work colleagues for fear of being singled out or in some way devalued. Even though they work in organisations with staff from different backgrounds, of different nationalities etc etc. I have also heard leaders of such organisations making jokes and intimating that anyone holding these opinions lacks intelligence for having them or is just plain “wrong”. I don’t know if they even realise how it dents their “diversity’ credentials.
(Aside — I am certainly not espousing extreme political correctness which suggests you can’t say anything which has the potential to upset someone. That, in my opinion, sounds the death knell of an awful lot of comedy. For me the key thing is the intent. Someone intending to make a light-hearted joke pointing out the absurdity of us humans, is a different matter to belittling the opinion of someone whose livelihood and prospects you have control over. I would say if you don’t like someone’s comedy stylings, don’t listen. Also, maybe you need to learn to laugh at yourself a little.)
Back to the subject in hand. Have you ever been in a position where, as a specialist in your area, you have been asked for an assessment of a situation or a risk, or advice on a course of action? Have you ever had to express a view which was not universally popular with your peers or superiors? As a result has your input then been ignored, even though in the fullness of time it turned out you were right? If so, why didn’t anyone listen? Perhaps it was because your view wasn’t the same as the majority, and your peers were not willing to include the diversity of your opinion as a valid data point, despite your expertise. Could there be a lack of willingness to embrace cognitive diversity in your team? How many times have you all been out for a beer?
Come to think of it, how do you hire people for your own team? Are you guilty of embracing diversity as long as everyone agrees with you? How does it make you feel when one of your team members disagrees with you? Are you willing to listen and be persuaded on the basis that you and your beverage-swilling cronies might not always have all the answers? Or…
Teams which embrace cognitive diversity and champion differing views have better outcomes. Look — Harvard Business Review says that too…
Being all happy-clappy, back-slappy and drinking-your-own-bathwater might be comfortable and a lot less painful than living with challenge and disagreement. But what is it that you hope to achieve? A result, or the best possible and most efficient result?
Do you want to be part of a team of people who all enjoy the same beverages, the same comedy and comfortable mediocrity? Or a team which is truly inclusive and diverse, where everyone feels they can speak up when they disagree or have a “crazy idea which might just work”? These teams are alive, energetic and vibrant, and able to achieve extraordinary things. Being part of these teams is not always easy as challenge and evolution is part of their psyche, but it is never boring. If people feel truly included, valued and listened to, then disagreements and challenges lose their sting.
And remember it’s only business not personal. As long as you can all go for a beer afterwards…
