Diversity in the Workplace: What Does it Really Mean?
This weekend, I took part as the host of a ‘Women in Technology’ event organized by #LatinaGeeks, an organization, led by Lala Castro and Tanya Salcido, whose mission is to “empower and inspire Latin women by spreading the knowledge of entrepreneurship, social media and technology”. As an advocate for diversity in the workplace, when my good friend Ana Reyes called and asked if I could help, I jumped at the opportunity . Diversity in the Workplace seems to be the buzz phrase of the moment these days but I’m hoping it will become more than that. I think part of that evolution is understanding what Diversity in the workplace SHOULD mean.
Strength. If I could simplify what diversity in the workplace amounts to in a single word, ‘Strength’ would be it. An analogy I like to use is a toolbox. I have learned through trial and error that I am only as good as the tools I have. I recall trying to take shortcuts or, worse yet, just not knowing what tools to have in my arsenal to make my life easier at home repairing, for example, broken PVC pipes. I struggled for weeks trying to unscrew broken sprinkler heads from a PVC pipe, I tried inventing new tools, I tried jamming pliers into the pipe until I finally went to the hardware store and discovered this magical tool you see here to the right. It has its own unique purpose, it doesn’t do what a screwdriver does, it doesn’t do what a hammer does, but it does what its supposed to do VERY well. Now, people are much more complex than a set of hardware tools, but the philosophy is similar in the sense that the more diverse experiences, skillsets and point of views you have, theSTRONGER your end-product will be.
In my analogy of a toolbox, I can have the most diverse set of very useful tools but unless I use the tools for what they are good at and NOT try to use, for example, plyers to hammer a nail, only then will I get the most out of my diverse toolbox. Same with the workplace. Diversity comes in the form of gender, age, culture, social economics and sexual orientation, to name a few. A workplace can have a diverse set of people but if their experiences are not heeded, if their skillsets are not used or if their point of views are not heard, then diversity is nothing more than a buzz phrase.
