June 10th, 2010
One of the books I have really enjoyed this year is Switch from the Heath brothers. One of the ideas that has continued to bounce around in my head since I first read it is:
What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity.
I find this to be very true, especially regarding the topics that I work with. I have written here numerous times about how poorly understood the dynamics of difference are in the business world today. I think that this is as big of an obstacle to diversity and inclusion work as there is.
Lack of clarity often begins at a very foundational level. Consider the words diversity and inclusion. We often talk about them as if we are all talking about the same things, but I think that is rarely the case. We may be using the same words, but I think that diversity and inclusion tend to mean very different things to people…some positive, some negative.
I craft proposals for organizations on a regular basis, and they are generally wanting to start “doing stuff” right away, but I have started building some reflection and clarification time on to the front end of my organizational projects. I think that organizations need to spend some time thinking and clarifying what diversity and inclusion really mean for them and why.
Have you ever had a conversation about what diversity and inclusion mean in your organization?
Have you ever had conversations about why diversity and inclusion matter to your organization?
Have you ever had conversations about what individuals are expected to do to help the organization benefit from diversity and inclusion?
I think that when this foundational clarity and understanding does not exist, whatever actions an organization takes regarding diversity and inclusion are in jeopardy of not being fully supported, not being aligned with business goals and not making sense to individual contributors.
Be good to each other.