Diversity, is simply defined as, "a range of different things." In the workplace, however, diversity describes our culture, our skills, and our roles. Imagine if there are three different types of people in this world. We’ll call these people, X’s, Y’s, and Z’s.
Let’s now assume the following:
- X’s are very technical people. They thrive in solving problems, and take their time in doing so. They can’t see far ahead, and focus on what is in front of them. They look at every angle, they break the problem down, and they tediously figure out answers.
- Y’s are great managers. They don’t do well when it comes to being tasked with one specific project, but they blossom when it comes to bringing people together and finding ways to utilize different skill sets to make processes efficient.
- Z’s are visionaries. They look at the big picture and they love to set goals. They get excited over learning new information, and understanding the future. They know where things are going, and they know the path to get there.
Very quickly, you should be able to acknowledge that you can’t hire an entire company full of X’s, Y’s, or Z’s. You will need a balance. You need, “diversity.” If you build a company full of X’s, you’ll lack vision and you’ll get lost. If you hire only Y’s, you’ll have everyone trying to delegate without any real progress. Balance is always key to a healthy workplace. Is your team diverse?
There are many ways to learn about your employees. We recommend using things like the D.I.S.C. assessment, or Myers-Briggs. Using either of those, you’ll learn about your peers and what type of people they are, but more importantly you’ll learn about yourself. Understanding each other better, will greatly improve communication, understanding, and respect. Of course, we highly recommend using Vibecatch as well, which is a very simple and effective tool for getting consistent feedback throughout the year. Using analytics and scientifically driven insights, we can show you areas that need improvement and how to make your team more efficient and healthy.
You will be amazed what you can learn from your own team by simply asking them how they are doing.
Now, diversity also can be used to describe more than just “type of workers.” It can be used to describe the gender ratio, or cultural ratio. It’s incredibly important to remain diverse in these areas as well, because we think differently. Where we come from, what we’ve experienced, and how we’ve been brought up, all plays a role in how we perform our jobs and how we interact with our peers.
Diversity should be celebrated! Stay tuned for another post coming soon, on how to celebrate cultural diversity in your office.
Take Vibecatch for a test drive. One of our team members will be happy to help you make the most of it.
