In the July 2017 issue of Incentive Magazine, Rob Danna,
VP of Marketing at a prominent engagement solutions supplier, relayed an
interesting allegory about inclusion:
“The grocery store near
my house recently started selling so-called "misfit" fruits and
vegetables. They're otherwise fresh and delicious, but don't meet the cosmetic
standards we expect from food: the crooked carrot, the lumpy potato and the
misshapen cucumber. Before this, stores just would have pitched this food.
What an incredible waste of potential, and what an important lesson for us.
While tossing out odd-looking tomatoes at the grocery store might unfortunately be the norm, smart HR professionals must take the opposite approach: celebrating and supporting all of their team members. Bringing in a mix of people from all walks of life simply creates a better environment, where people feel welcome and accepted.”
What an incredible waste of potential, and what an important lesson for us.
While tossing out odd-looking tomatoes at the grocery store might unfortunately be the norm, smart HR professionals must take the opposite approach: celebrating and supporting all of their team members. Bringing in a mix of people from all walks of life simply creates a better environment, where people feel welcome and accepted.”
In a recent employee survey by Deloitte, 72% of respondents said they would resign or
consider leaving an organization for one that has more of the inclusive aspects
they desire, and in fact nearly a quarter of all respondents had already done
so.
Not many organizations will survive in the future when
their culture is rooted in the past.
To change your culture for the future you need a plan to
get there, and according to Danna, the plan starts with building a solid
culture foundation with these five steps:
1.
Define what you want your culture to feel like
2.
Outline your culture's existing strength
3.
Conduct focus groups and gather intelligence
4.
Define necessary behaviors
5.
Communicate
Easy? Of course not, change never is. But when you know your objections you can
gain the power to overcome them. Not
having change can result in being just another organization that will no longer
be on the future landscape of successful companies.
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