together we are rock .. alone we are stone for nothing

Celebrating Diversity

As Holi and Nauroz has been celebrated in Pakistan on march 17 and 20 respectively, this is the ideal time to talk about diversity in the workplace.

The obvious visible signs of diversity in every organization are color, gender, age and physical ability. Just below the surface are national language and religion. if we go a little deeper  , we have individual values , qualifications and customs. Deeper still are the life experiences that shape people’s personality, paradigms, talents and values.

Diversity is a strong asset for a company and must be seen as a business issue. Research has proved that mixed groups are significantly more effective than homogeneous ones in making effective decision due to the wealth of experience , perspectives , attitudes and approaches they bring to the table. However, there is no denying that when you bring together people with different religious beliefs and cultures, or women in what is traditionally a man’s world , diversity can cause stress and strain .

The way to inclusion is to not attempt to minimize that tension. Instead, use it as a force for productivity and creativity. The goal should be to change the organizational culture , not the employees who already have relevant job skills.

Traditional organizations attempt to train coach and coerce diverse employees to ‘fit’ within the cultural mainstream, where as leading- edge organizations recognize the difference between equal treatment and treating everyone the same. They recognize and respect the different perspectives, talents and communication styles of diverse employees and focus on distinguishing style from substance, so that many style and approaches can be accommodated without sacrificing effectiveness within the organization.

As the organization moves away from the homogeneous ideal towards creating a more viable heterogeneous culture , traditions, practice and embedded biases that characterize the status quo are discarded to make room for ways of doing things.

This emphasis on culture change rather then individual change is what results in innovative ways of doing business.