Inspired by Matthew Syed’s Rebel Ideas, I was encouraged to learn and discover various facets of diverse thinking especially in workplaces. The racial discrimination in workplaces including the dysfunctional dynamics has enraged activists and citizens to demand a certain level of accountability from companies recently. Companies across the world very evidently lack inclusivity and diversity in representation in their functioning. Not only is this a clear sign of racism but it also affects the companies themselves.
It spreads out in two ways; their image which is a very important part of their brand, if not the most. Secondly, the internal functioning pertaining to ideas, narratives, and paradigm shifts which are vital as a company’s success comes from myriad viewpoints. The problem is that the corporate sector over the years has only managed to tackle the former which solely concerns their brand image. That makes it all the more racist to treat people from the marginalized sectors as commodities when in reality it is a form of whitewashing and comes off as disregarding their humanity.
The idea is that diversity is not only about the number of people who are part of the company but more concerned with the team dynamics in terms of how many diverse opinions are being considered to begin with and not just a mere matter of public display is something that needs to be brought to the forefront. Many members of the marginalized communities are faced with micro and macro aggressions with their ideas and viewpoints often being discarded. The homogeneity of thinking is stagnant in growth and sustains extreme cohesiveness to validate a few like-minded individuals belonging to the same culture. The internal structures are very important and the key to a company’s success. Diverse opinions bring about different angles, help in coming with more creative solutions, and not stick to the status quo. Cognitive diversity is essential to a company’s growth and adds many spectrums of perspectives to solve one problem. The diverse backgrounds enable the company to stand out and bring a different outlook into the market which is what they strive for in the first place.
Unfortunately, most people in board rooms are unwilling to listen to a member who is not meeting their thinking style or belongs to a marginalized community. Amazon initiated a method known as ‘golden silence’ for its board meetings. At a conference table, the proposer writes a 6-page memo without discussing anything. All the candidates take about 30 minutes to read and take notes. The meeting does not proceed until all the members go through the memo. This way everyone can state their ideas without being influenced by others. Though this is a meeting strategy to get the most out of their time, this is one of their ways of taking into account the diverse ideas that are undercut for being “inferior”. Many others like LinkedIn and Square have implemented similar mechanisms to improve the quality of meetings and consider every voice.
This is a good corporate solution to ensure that diverse ideas are being considered in the workplace with a smoother process. However, the long term prospects of racism and inefficiency are still prevalent in this system. Apart from this method not being feasible in every kind of setting, the golden silence is not that efficient a model to ensure that all diverse views are being taken into account. People who are secured in board rooms because of this process have leverage over those who do not get the space because of internal hierarchies. The main problem of viewing the marginalized as inferior and disregarding what they have to offer is still existent which is the main issue that needs to be eradicated. They deserve to feel secure, heard, and allowed space to proactively speak up without being subjected to discrimination and get the emotional safety in workplaces that everyone equally deserves regardless of position. Moreover, this also removes the aspect of disability from diversity. Within the spectrum of diversity, disabled people are always left out and even further discriminated against.
The idea is to normalize and have more conversations about diverse opinions so companies understand that accountability goes beyond public display. The awareness is essential for the general public to be aware of their rights, feel they can take up space, and further engage in ways to make work-life safer especially for the marginalized and even within the range of diversity, not leaving anyone out. This system is a start but there is an urgent need to bring about more such solutions, ideas, and engagement to ensure better systems that are more effective and are functional for the long haul.