This week, the unit 7, the topics are focus on managing diversity in workplaces, how does it impact business performance, what factors are influence the effects of diversity, and how to use the Balanced Scorecard. I think back to the definition of an entrepreneur, a person who sets up a business or business to satisfy discovered needs, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit. I think the needs are the fundamental part of why we should managing diversity in workplaces and even benefit from it. For example, even many people are iPhone lovers, they still choose different colors and sizes. For different people, the needs can be very different. Some of them do not need 512G or more capacity. Although most of us need a phone to communicate with people we have to spend time with, how we use our phone is still varied.
A Story of Empathy
I think of an interesting story about respect for diversity. "Sometimes You're A Caterpillar" In the garden, there's a caterpillar and a snail, and they're basically best friends. They hang out 24/7. One day, they're on their way to a party that's right outside the garden, and they have to go through the fence to get there. So the caterpillar goes right through, but the snail is stuck. Her shell is just too big and it won't fit under the wire, so she's like, "Crap! I can't get through! Maybe, like, can you lift up the wire, or maybe we can build a little bridge or something?" And the caterpillar's like, "Dude, just go under." And the caterpillar's like, "Go under, come on. We're gonna be late."
But it's not happening. The shell will not fit under the wire, and at this point, Snail's getting kinda frustrated because it's not like she doesn't wanna go to the party, but for some reason, the caterpillar just isn't getting it. "It's not that easy for me. I just can't crawl under the fence like you can, so I would really appreciate your help here." And this just, like, sets the caterpillar off. "What the heck! Just because I can crawl under stuff doesn't mean that I have it easy. Do you even know what it's like to have 16 feet?! You don't, because finding shoes is a complete nightmare." "I'm just saying I can't go under the fence because of my shell, that's it. I have a shell and you don't, and there's some stuff that's easier for you that's harder for me, just like, I don't know about finding shoes because I don't have feet!" At this momoent, the caterpillar realizes the snail is right. I mean, he's never had to think about shells or slimy trails, and that's a privilege that the snail has never hadbecause she has to think about that stuff all the time. That's part of being a snail. And it's kind of like that for everyone.
We all have our own struggles and challenges, and some of them are small, and some of them are huge and really unfair and beyond our control. And a lot of the time, it can be hard to see what someone else deals with because you've never been in their shoes...or shell.
Diversity such as having a disability, or different religion, or a different race. Oftentimes, they don't know what it's like to be you, and you don't know what it's like to be them. So it's really important to stop and try and see the other side so we can help each other overcome those obstacles together. It's like sometimes you're the snail, and sometimes you're the caterpillar.
Reference
YouTube. (2015). Sometimes You're A Caterpillar. YouTube. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRiWgx4sHGg.
Posts
