Читать книгу Voices of Design Leadership - Ken Sanders - Страница 10

Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day.

–Winston Churchill

For all the right reasons, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are booming in organizations across the globe. Intentional strategies of diversity not only help address lingering discrimination and social injustice, but also improve the overall health and resilience of talent ecosystems.

The evidence surrounds us. In nature, it is well understood that diverse and balanced ecosystems are the healthiest and most resilient. Biodiversity provides shared ecosystem services that benefit multiple species, including protection of water resources, formation and protection of soils, nutrient storage and recycling, breakdown and absorption of pollution, and recovery. The inverse effect can be seen in “managed” ecosystems. Wild salmon is generally healthier and less disease-prone than farmed salmon, and forest development programs that recognize the value of ecosystem diversity produce more disease-resistant trees compared to those that do not.

Researchers have also found that biological communities rich in species are substantially more productive than those lacking in diversity. Examples include deserts, forests, marine ecosystems, old-growth forests, rainforests, tundra, and coral reefs. While “survival of the fittest” exists within individual species, each depends on contributions from the others to ensure their own overall well-being. Mutual dependency is an essential characteristic.

The same is true of ecosystems of design talent. The greater the diversity and interdependency, the healthier and more resilient. Also important is equity: organizational processes and rewards that are impartial, fair and offer equal potential outcomes for everyone.

Art Gensler always encouraged leaders to “hire people smarter than you.” That is true. I would add to Art’s insightful advice: seek out, hire, and learn from people who are different from you.