Diversity is an essential theme in our generation, as we start to come together as a human race. However, the ideal of diversity proceeded in a distorted,almost perverse fashion over the past few decades in the United States. The ideals of bridging cultural and social divides turned into a police witchhunt, promoting fear, restriction, and ostracization, rather than forgiveness and understanding.
It requires a course correction in the coming years.
Below is a quick chart highlighting the differences between a diversity organization that I’ll simply call “misguided diversity movement” and an “ontrack diversity movement”. I’ve been associated with efforts that lean towards the former. However, I do envision there will be a mass evolution towards the latter type of diversity efforts as we start to collectively ‘wake up’.
While I mention many points below, a common pattern should intuitively emerge on what qualities distinguish ‘misguided’ from ‘ontrack’ efforts.
| Misguided Diversity | Genuine Diversity |
| Promoting a single party-line | Actively encourage difference in perspectives |
| Static principles | Continuous evolution of principles |
| Perspectives of Diversity | Diversity of Perspectives |
| Shun controversy | Engage controversy |
| Diversity as a tagline | Diversity as a living ideal |
| Solution by finding a scapegoat | Solution by increasing understanding, compassion, and forgiveness |
| Rules set by authority | Guidelines set by community |
| Hierarchical / Autocratic governance | Democratic or Holacratic governance |
| Silence Debate / Discussion | Encourage Debate / Discussion |
| Words remain words | Words translate into next-actions |
| Close off channels of dialog | Open up additional channels of dialog |
| Minimize exploration of perspectives | Continuous research of additional perspectives |
| Pedestalize heroes outside ourselves | Tune into ideals inside ourselves |
| Motivation through achievements / external rewards | Motivation through inspiration / implicit rewards |
| Play on fear | Moved by love |
| Loyalty to tribe | Loyalty to principle |
| Pride in ‘knowing’ the full picture | Humility in acknowledging not knowing everything |
| Suppress sensitivity | Increases sensitivity |
| Find reasons to exclude | Find reasons to include |
| Encourage victimization | Encourage empowerment |
| Limit participation | Expand participation |
| Act as police of community | Act as servant of community |
| Limited to narrow band of legally-defined parameters for diversity | Engage behavioral, psychological, spiritual, personality breadth of diversity |
| Stuck in past glory | Vision of future potential |
Please share any other features, and I’ll add them to this list.
Ranjeeth Thunga
rkt@perspectivemapper.com
@pov_mapper