When you work with people from cultural background, go slow, listen, ask questions, make no assumptions, and try hard to understand. You may realize that your ways would lead to disaster. Having the humility and mental flexibility to see the world through the eyes of others and adjusting your behavior accordingly is the skill you want to cultivate.
To build a genuinely meritocratic system, it is not enough to claim the value of meritocracy. You need to design processes and policies in a way that limits the opportunity for biases and prejudices to come into play, and that often means relying more on algorithms, transparency, and accountability and less on managerial discretion.
Most of the bias in an organization doesn’t spur form bigotry, racism, or outgroup derogation. It is merely a convenience that is at fault. We prioritize what is comfortable, what is known, and therefore we favor those in our in-group.
Have you hired a diverse team, and you can’t see any benefits for the organization? If that is all you have done, then chances are you have more friction, demotivated employees, and bigger attrition among minorities. What went wrong? Diversity… Read More ›
Hiring for cultural richness can be a bit counterintuitive when we are conditioned to hire for cultural fit. Cultural fit helps to remove friction from the conversation. If everyone has the same thoughts, there is no opposition and no arguments…. Read More ›
The words sense of urgency have a bad rap. They are often used as a managerial mumble-jumble by incompetent managers who don’t know how to lead people properly. However, it certainly has its place in our lives as it is… Read More ›
Recognition refers to the actions and words that a manager or colleagues use to acknowledge and appreciate each other work. We are generally motivated when someone else mentions that we or our work is important. That it matters. The more… Read More ›
Having the right leader in charge is critical to the success of the organization. Only when employees benefit from the skills, attitude, and work of the leader, you have the right person in the job. The right leader will boost… Read More ›
Are you building a new company? Have you decided to change the job and join a new organization? The question of culture will undoubtedly come up. What type of culture do we want to build? What kind of culture will… Read More ›
The 2013 National Business Ethics Survey (NBES) showed that even though most misconduct metrics are down, they are still pretty alarming. 41% of participants of the survey reported that they observed misconduct, 63% reported what they saw, and 21% of… Read More ›
