Managing Diversity Reflection
Diversity is what makes life interesting, and to a large degree worth living. ... Diversity can be as simple as the difference between Mexican and American foods, or as complex as a centuries old religious conflict, such as Israel and Palestine. Fear of diversity is what breeds ignorance, while embracing diversity can lead to a richer and more fulfilling life. ... I am not comfortable with the phrase “managing diversity”. I believe that business schools have manufactured phrases like this to make everyone feel good about diversity in the work place. ... Phrases like “managing diversity” are the pink ice in business schools. The measure of your beliefs on diversity should be your actions, not papers. ... Simply adhering to the golden rule and remembering to respect others, as you would have them respect you; the issue of managing diversity becomes transparent. ... In contemplating the issue of diversity, I cannot readily come up with an example of when it would be not wise to create a diverse organization. ... My experiences with diversity as they relate to my present company could be a lengthy paper on its own; however, I will try to give the Reader’s Digest version. ... He is one of the lucky silver-spoon-fed privileged types, who currently has a significant role in the company as a managing VP, thanks in large part to his father owning the company. ... That example was just the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to his everlasting wisdom, on the subject of diversity. ... Like a lot of new ideas and concepts that I explore though my professional and educational career, diversity is one where I readily admit I do not have all the answers, and I have only begun to start asking the right questions about such a complex concept as managing, or even understanding, diversity.