The Left and the Right Sides of Merging Diversity and Inclusion
Recently I watched a talk on particular learning styles and how parts of the brain work symbiotically to collaborate. The left and right cerebral hemispheres work both separately and together to control speech, thought, emotions, reading, writing, and learning. The left hemisphere thrived on control and ordered labelled decision making. It instinctively marks, prioritises and categorises our experiences, and it is competitive. The right hemisphere, by contrast, can grasp concepts beyond our own experiences and realities; it is the big picture thinker, experiences intuition and is enjoys imagination and uniqueness.
Are individual preferences and functions of the hemispheres of the brain not analogous to the design and operation of an organisation? Organisations and the people in them are unique in both role and tendencies. How they operate, choose to interact with people and make-decisions are driven by underlying preferences possibly even subconscious ones. There is, however, often a divide between the ‘heart’ and ‘brain’ of the organisation Where the heart and brain are the systems and the people or leadership. In this case, there is also a preference between the left and the right brain in business when it comes to learning, adopting new ways of conduct and adapting to diversity.
‘Left brain’ parts of the organisation, individuals and some managers prefer order, structure and a neat, categorised way of business interaction, whether it be in day-to-day conduct and workplace relationships or a preferential management style and how policies are structured and implemented. For this preference, order and bureaucracy are comfortable, familiar and proven effective.
Complimentary or contradictory to this is the ‘right-brain’; this part of the organisation is more welcoming and aware of other people’s opinions and experiences and new dreams. This preference sees the bigger picture and is keen to explore numerous options and endless possibilities. This ‘right side’ of the organisation more frequently taps into intuition and empathy and is more comfortable with the unknown.
Both parts of the organisation’s brain are essential for learning, to thrive, innovate, collaborate and to succeed.
Diversity and inclusion as a whole-organisation initiative
How can the organisation work together as a cohesive unit to achieve challenging objectives like diversity and inclusion when there is often an internal struggle between people and policies, a system that desires order or the love of imagination or comfort that grapples with the unknown?
Diversity is very topical on a global scale right now. Not only has variety in the workplace become a focal point from a political and social standpoint, but the performance and innovation benefits of diversity are anecdotal.
Where minority groups once experienced limited equal employment opportunities in both government and private sectors, rectifying inequality occurs, namely when policies and legal protocols, are in place. However, workplace diversity now includes an added layer of complexity beyond policy implementation. Characteristics that are both visible and invisible are now part of the diversity spectrum: gender, age, race, culture, creed, background, education, marital and family status and many other factors are valuable contributors to organisational diversity and performance. For many organisations, achieving parity representation particularly for attributes like gender and culture is still a highly-structured process overseen by recruitment and human resources personnel with the desired outcome to satisfy quotas, not necessarily to optimise potential experiential and talent diversity.
The ‘left brain’ of the organisation is pleased with the pursuit of numerical diversity quotas. Satisfying policies are achievable, and metrics reportable from a governance perspective. Diversity, for the most part, can occur in a well-structured and organised fashion. What about inclusion?
What is the appropriate lexicon for inclusion in the workplace- managing, tolerating or embracing diversity? Enter the ‘right-brain’ of the organisation.
The parts of the organisation and people comfortable with and in active pursuit of a novel way of conducting business. They are open to and appreciate uniqueness, even in conflict. In these relationships, meetings and in problem-solving sessions imaginations run wild with possibilities. They actively pursue the inclusion of all types of opinions and ideas to adopt and value other people’s experiences. Similarly, inclusion is not clear cut and cannot be categorised; it involves honouring differences and being open to other people opinions and growing experiences which can be confronting and uncomfortable; it is also profoundly contemplative.
Valuing diversity can imply mutual respect, collaborative working styles and employee empowerment. Inclusion surpasses numerical representation; it allows individuals to contribute freely and access the same resources and opportunities as others. Even with initial conflict or discomfort, the pursuit of inclusion and equality outweighs uncomfortable situations.
Merging the left and right- Diversity and inclusion.
From policy to performance. Naturally navigating between the hemispheres of the brain is not always a conscious or automatic process. Often one part of the brain is not aware the other part exists or that it needs the other side to optimally function. Organisations can fall into this pattern too. Day-to-day conduct and decision-making have become so familiar and often automated; there is no need or the desire to step away from what is typical and comfortable or to engage in consultation with other parts of the organisation and individuals. Diversity policies are frequently drafted and implemented; furthermore, the practical, unscripted and unstructured steps that follow diversity policies are less clear. Inclusion is the companion that accompanies diversity. Without active inclusion, can the full benefits of diversity and individual uniqueness be discovered? Both parts of the business brain are required to embrace all the diversity and inclusion has to offer.
The blueprint to guide an organisation’s diversity starts with optimising the culture and climate of inclusion at the highest level of management and leadership. Finding ways of creating an inclusive environment that is comfortable for all individuals is the bridge between the left and the right sides. Some people will naturally embrace visible and non-visible diversity effortlessly; others will struggle. Both those who prefer structure and familiarity or the experiential promise of the unknown, have the opportunity to bring diversity policies to full fruition through an organisational culture that thrives on communication and mutual respect across the diversity spectrum.
Collaboration is a currency for innovation and performance.
