The 99 Day Diversity Challenge by Saundarya Rajesh

Author:Saundarya Rajesh [Rajesh, Saundarya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789352808328
Publisher: Sage Publications India Pvt, Ltd -- eBooks
Published: 2018-10-21T16:00:00+00:00

CREATING AN INCLUSIVE

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

DAY

54/99

Disciple: Oh Master, may I have your permission to speak?

Master: Ananta, you have already spoken.

Disciple: I was just requesting your permission, Master.

Master: And by doing so, you spoke.

Disciple: A thousand pardons, Oh Master. I will remain quiet if this is not the appropriate time to speak.

Master: Now that you have established that we are conversing, we might as well. Go ahead. What did you want to state?

Disciple: I find that our new brother from the mountains is very different from others. He thinks differently. He finishes his tasks very differently. For instance, his manner of cutting vegetables in our kitchen is vastly different from how we do it. I don’t know whether to tell him that we do it differently or to just ignore it. Also, he is more modern than the rest of us. He knows how to use computers. Maybe we can remove him from the kitchen and use him only in the office?

Master: But why should you tell him that he is cutting vegetables differently?

Disciple: So that he fits in with the rest of us. So that he can cut vegetables the way we do. So that we can all be alike.

Master: Should we all be alike, Ananta?

Disciple: Oh Master, as usual, I am stuck. I do not know the right reply to your question. I am afraid that if I say the wrong answer, I will invite your anger upon me. Kindly shed light on this yourself, benevolent Master!

Master: Anger? No Ananta. There is no anger, merely exasperation. Anyway, here are my thoughts. The question that you need to ask is why have we been cutting vegetables in a particular way? Is there an inherent reason for it? Does it make the flavour come out better? Does it cook easily thereby conserving fuel for us? Does it save time so that we can do other tasks? If our new brother from the mountains cuts vegetables in a manner that satisfies our objectives or has its own special benefit, there is no need for him to change, just because we do it in one particular way.

Disciple: Oh, I understand! The value that a different approach or background brings to us gets diluted if we make everyone adhere to the same rules of functioning. But what about putting him in the office where he can make good use of his computer skills?

Master: That is the problem when we highlight differences, Ananta. You are then unable to look beyond their ‘difference’. They get pigeonholed into one category and are unable to learn further. Yes, we benefit from his different skill, but won’t he feel exploited? Our new brother from the mountains might have many other ideas to make our place better, which he might not share if he is thrust into doing just one type of job.

Disciple: Then what is the solution, Oh Master?

Master: Frank and open communication is the answer, Ananta. If we have to create an inclusive environment, then we must encourage candid discourse.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.