“A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything.”
Gustav Mahler, Composer and Conductor
Imagine an orchestra comprised of flutes only. Or a choir entirely composed of baritones. What if Beethoven used but one note in composing a symphony? Complete nonsense, right?
Like most things in life, music is at its best when a vibrant collection of instruments played by uniquely skilled and talented musicians are involved — every sound and tone contributing to a marvelous blend of symphonic richness.
Diversity is no accident when it comes to producing quality performances. Its inherent in the process. A composer, or visionary, writes a score that melds the various instruments in a way that fits his or her vision for the piece. The conductor interprets that vision, listening intently, directing the players, and ensuring each part is carried out as designed. The musicians carefully follow the director’s instructions and cadence while blending their unique gifts and talents in a fashion that produces the desired outcome and brings pleasure to the audience.
Organization development and success is equally dependent on such process-driven diversity. There are three ways business leaders can infuse the value of variety into the health and performance of the organization and a fourth that is absolutely imperative: 1) discover and train the right talent; 2) recognize and empower that talent; 3) harmonize the talent through meaningful cross-functional methodologies; 4) establish a constancy of purpose based on shared values.
HIRE AND CULTIVATE BEST-FIT TALENT
Carefully selecting and nurturing talent capable of producing desired goals and objectives is paramount. If you don’t get this right achieving success is next to impossible. In the orchestra musicians are chosen based on lengthy and pressure-packed audition — credentials or connections be damned. If you cannot perform the piece, you don’t make the cut. If the player demonstrates potential for making the grade given the right training and environment the director takes that aspect into consideration.
Poor hiring and team development practices burden your organization with unnecessary and perilous costs that go beyond financial considerations — which the U. S. Department of Labor estimates as roughly 30% of an employee’s annual earnings. Conflict and ineptitude — especially at the management level —can destroy culture and have a significant negative impact on the overall attitude and motivation of the entire team. Poor or unacceptable behavior presents similar dangers where customer or client relationships are concerned. In addition, the excessive time required for coaching and counseling hinders performance by taking time and focus away from serving clients and customers.
EMPOWER YOUR TEAM MEMBERS
W. Edwards Deming, a major influence on the total Quality Management movement and largely responsible for spawning the disciplines of re-engineering, Six Sigma, LEAN, and Kaizen, taught: “We must preserve the power of intrinsic motivation, dignity, cooperation, curiosity, joy in learning, that people are born with.” Allowing people involvement in the process and putting egos and personal biases aside is essential for making this happen. This is where understanding and appreciating different perspectives, life experiences, and ways of doing things is transformed from a potential problem to strategic advantage.
ALIGN PEOPLE, PROCESS, AND TECHNOLOGY
It is the role of leadership to expertly bring together people, process, and technology in producing exceptional performance and memorable client and or customer experiences. Like the orchestra conductor, the savvy manager clearly understands the organization vision and how each section or department contributes to the eventual success of the whole.
The New England Patriots of the national Football League are an excellent example of manifesting a vision by powerfully integrating people with diverse talents into a technology- enabled process that produces consistent and beyond satisfactory results. From scouting and evaluating talent to strategically designed personnel training and development through in-game critical decision-making that includes real-time data and analytics the Patriots never lose sight of their ultimate mission. And that success translates into elated customers that freely share their passion and dedication to the team. Brand value is optimized as a result.
IDENTIFY AND INCULCATE SHARED VALUES
Of course, none of the above works without laser-like focus on shared values. Love of music motivates each and every member of the orchestra. That love includes an appreciation for the diverse contribution each instrument and musician invests in the finished piece. It also requires an innate, intuitive, and finely trained ear for recognizing when that harmony is disrupted or impaired.
For example, the core value of Portland-based Michael’s Messenger Service (MMS) is a “love of driving.” The firm was founded on that one passion. But it includes more than just over the road activity. A true love of driving involves respect for both civil and physical laws that govern transporting important documents, materials, specimens, samples, and other precious cargo for people that the broader community counts on for getting things right.
It also entails a passion for driving positive business outcomes. Account Management, dispatchers, operations, accounting, and information technology that makes it all possible must be expertly aligned and harmonized to ensure consistent, predictable, accurate, and adaptable services are available when and where you need them.
REMEMBER “VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE”
First appearing in a poem penned by William Cowper entitled The Task, the phrase “Variety is the Spice of Life” expresses the idea that life is boring and much less enjoyable when everything is the same. The poem compares the blandness and lack of taste inherent in unseasoned food with the tedium and lack of creativity where diversity is found lacking.
It also addresses the unacceptability of over- or improperly seasoned fare. Diversity is best when it is allowed to flourish naturally based on the values, passion, talents, and goals of the individual and how those traits fit with the organization. By including, empowering, directing, and harmonizing a wide-range of voices and instruments your organization cannot help but produce an experience that is pleasing and always worth experiencing again and again.