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Managing Diversity: 7 Ways to Create Cohesion
January 6, 2008

I couldn’t help but conjure a work analogy in my head while visiting an aquarium over the holiday break.   Specifically, it made me think of how challenging it can be to manage different personalities in a way that makes everyone want to come together and work as a team.

It all started with a “team” of piranhas.  Despite their ferocious reputation and shake-in-your-boots name, they remained still - not budging, not flinching, barely breathing – or so it seemed.  They were simply suspended in the water doing nothing.

In contrast, was a pool of butterflyfish nearby, who if given the opportunity would have swam circles around the piranhas.  That is, if the piranhas didn’t eat the butterflyfish first.  They buzzed around, whizzing by one another as if in lanes on a highway.  But that’s just the point.  The differences between them didn’t matter because they weren’t forced to swim in the same tank with each other in the first place – a work reality that we face every day.

Let’s imagine though if we did put the fish in a tank together.  Combining them would mean that one group would go in circles while the other just sat there and took up space.  Sound familiar?  It’s nature and it's fish behavior. But it's also the nature of human nature, and it’s not easy to figure out how to make it all work. 

The good news for the aquarium is the bad news for businesses.  We can’t separate everyone into like groups and put them into tanks, even though it would make life so much easier.   Instead, we need to create environments that support the population within – like a tank customized to suit the needs of the fish inside.

Here is an exercise that will help you.  We use it to connect culture with strategy.  Ask these seven questions in a brainstorming format.  At first blush it may seem as though some of these questions are redundant and likely to produce the same answer.  But they don’t.  We’ve done this many times with clients and as you parse through it, you will see how much valuable information comes from the responses, each through its own unique lens.   Include as many employees as you can in the process.  The more people who have a voice and participate in defining who you are as a company, what you will achieve and where you going, the more powerful and lasting the outcome.  After all, nothing can really be done without the inclusion and engagement of your employees.

1. Vision – this is what you see as your company’s future. 
    ~What will you “look” like in five years, or ten or twenty? 
    ~Our vision is to become _______.”

2. Mission – these are the things you will accomplish in the near term. 
    ~What will you achieve in the next year or two or three or five? 
    ~“Our mission is to accomplish_______.”

3. Objectives – these are your short-term goals.
    ~What do you need to do to satisfy your mission and vision statements?
    ~“Our goals broken down are_______.”

4. Strategy – this is how you will get there.
    ~What do you need to do tactically?
    ~Our execution strategy is_______.”

5. Identity – this is who you are.
    ~What makes you, you?
    ~“Our “personality” can be defined as_______.”

6. Values – these are the things you care about.
    ~What do you want to be known for?
    ~“Our values as a company are_______.”

7. Purpose – this is your reason for being.
    ~Why do you exist?
    ~“We come to work everyday because_______.”

Once you have all your answers, you will have created the conditions of your own distinct organizational “tank.”  Invite everyone in for a swim and encourage them to be open to the differences around them.

Posted by Donna Flagg on January 6, 2008 | Comments (3)