The unfortunate trend that has become overly apparent to me is that diversity has really just become a numbers game. Organizations are spending their resources trying to diversify their candidate pool, hire more diverse candidates, and do more in the underserved communities. My question is: what comes after “diversity”?
How many conflicts could be averted if we had selective amnesia with our rivals or foes? Our conversations would then be free of the tiny microexpressions and unconscious vocal tones that send out defensive messages (despite our best intentions). The problem is, our brain scrutinizes our environment for threats and then sears these threat-memories deep into our mind — for our protection. Our brain doesn’t want us to have amnesia precisely because we would then be more vulnerable to dangers around us. Even if we can’t control our unconscious nonverbal behaviors, we can try to compensate for them.
In the following video of a presentation to the Ardagh Group, Paul Meshanko discusses a case study of a well known airline and how they utilized the power of culture to guide their success. Paul goes on to share tips for how to leverage culture as well as the 3 core values that guide every successful organization.
The trend toward increased diversity in the American workforce isn’t good or bad, it’s just the way it is and the way it will be in the future. What will allow organizations to engage their diverse workforces and thrive amidst this demographic shift is simple. RESPECT.
No one sets out to create a toxic environment. Yet when a workplace culture evolves on its own with little attention given to relationships and employees aren’t held accountable for rudeness or disrespect, the mood at any organization can turn poisonous. The results: loss of productivity, low morale, increased absenteeism and high turnover. Don’t miss the signs. Is your workplace in danger?
There are tons of rules in society, some written and some implicit— a red light means stop and most people obey. In the workplace there are established rules of respect as well. The following are 5 tips to help your organization create a culture of respect.
An environment of respect provides an emotional safety net that frees people up to do their work without having to expend energy watching their backs and protecting themselves from the potentially harmful words and actions of managers and co-workers.
As a tribute to Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2014, here is a selection of posts from the Respectful Workplace blog that relate to the topic of workplace cultures. In these articles, Barbara Richman gives a list of actions to create a more respectful culture for your organization and Erica Pinsky presents Respect Tips to ensure you know where your culture is. Finally, Michael Kerr gives us an example of a work culture built on laughter.
Trust is often cited as a cornerstone in building successful workplace relationships with employees and customers. Unlike programs that can be planned, implemented and communicated to all employees, trust has to be established through each workplace interaction. It only can be gained if the organization’s leaders and employees are attentive to a number of key [...]
A lot of organizations don’t spend much time thinking about the state of their culture until a crisis comes up: employee turnover rates skyrocket, workplace accidents rise, or an internal employee survey reveals that (surprise, surprise!) employee morale is lower than a worm’s belly. And then the search for the quick fix begins: let’s throw a [...]
