Slowly and steadily, corporate institutions have risen up to embrace diversity in workplaces. Diversity helps in fostering innovation, creativity and empathy, which is practically impossible in workplaces that are homogenous.
Diversity in workplaces are more about gender, race, ethnicity, social cultures and even disabilities. However this makes only part of the overall pie of diverse workplace. One important element is allowing diversity of thoughts, thinking and opinions.
Different backgrounds and thought processes bring unique viewpoints that helps the organization to take a broader views and decisions that are inclusive and well thought through.
In 2004, Anthony Lising Antonio, a professor at the Stanford had said, ”When we hear dissent from someone who is different from us, it provokes more thought than when it comes from someone who looks like us.”
But often, organizations and its employees fall into the trap of ‘Yes Boss’ culture, where employees tend to agree with whatever their seniors decide and do not object with the fear of being seen as negative.
If this is not corrected then however diverse your firm is, innovation and creativity will be centrally driven building a myopic culture.