*Part of blog competition at work (Capgemini) during Diversity week in March 2017*
What is Diversity? Is it just people from
different countries or cultures or religions or education? Is it just people of
different race, color, gender, physical appearance?
Let us look at the dictionary meaning of Diversity – “the condition of having or being composed of
differing elements”.
Honestly, diversity
is everyday life – it is any person other than me. In fact many a times it is Me – me as human that goes through
thousands of thoughts, ideas, likes, dislikes, emotions for any given situation.
It is a range of clashing emotions that is more often than not, for myself that
sometimes also forces me to classify others
whom I deem different. Now expand
this “I” to a group of demographically, culturally alike people and we have an
exclusive group of individuals who are arguably similar. Now bring these groups
of different “culturally alike people”
together and it is diversity – whether in a team or an organization or in a
country.
So, what is Inclusion?
Is it mere acceptance of the fact that diversity is all around us? Is it mere
cosmetic acceptance of people and practices that are not similar to mine?
On the face of it, Inclusion seems a very fashionable, elitist
and idealist word that is good to read in poems, books and in the value
structures of organizations. In some sense “Diversity” and “Inclusion”
seem like an oxymoron.
But, then it is the only way forward in a world that has
become more and more connected with people more and more aspiring,
self-confident and at the same time, feeling more and more wanted with a strong
sense of identity.
This is more so evident in an organization like ours where
it is not only a mixed bag of nationalities, cultures, race and religions, but
also of ideas, beliefs and competition. That is where Inclusion comes in – not just mere acceptance but respect and appreciation for the variety that comes with diversity. It is about
embracing the idea of variety and living and moving forward
together.
Coming from a country like India, which in itself is a land
of a thousand cultures and contradictions, diversity is everyday life. It gives
me an opportunity to open my mind to learn about the diverse cultures and lifestyles
of different people. It enriches me to become a progressive person, it helps me
appreciate life, it empowers me to appreciate the opportunity to be different
and still contribute to my organization’s growth without losing my identity,
without being told how different I am.
I come from the Patni days - and the transition from there
to IGATE and then to Capgemini has not been always been smooth. I have worked
with different teams and clients in different regions during this course and
still am in awe of how much I have to learn. Is it always beautiful? NO! There
are clashes, there are false pretenses, there are me-over-you moments and vice
versa. But that is the beauty of it all, as ultimately all come together as a
bouquet of flowers – variety of colors, fragrance, size and shape..and yes,
thorns too! It is one BIG melting pot!
At the end of the day, that is what makes me and all of us
better humans and this organization a better place to work.
