In a diverse workplace, collaboration is often not only the implementation of ideas, but also a continuous exercise. This article will start from the perspective of CEO Zhang Weixuan of Wusi Media, honestly reveal the challenges and learning of building inclusive relationships in the midst of differences, from the limitations of language to the cultivation of maturity, and invite us to rethink the true meaning of "effective communication".
Working together in the midst of differences is harder than we think, but I'm convinced it's worth it
We all know that "communication" is very important, but once we actually enter the conversation, we often realize that communication is actually the most fragile and easily stalled part of the interpersonal relationship.
Especially when they have different backgrounds, values, and language habits, even if they have a common goal, as long as they are handled carelessly, it is easy to breed misunderstandings, lose patience, and even hurt both parties in the process of cooperation. In the past few years, I have a particularly deep understanding of this: when there are differences between people, how to establish a positive cooperative relationship in the midst of differences, instead of falling into the quagmire of mutual criticism and accusation, is indeed a great challenge.
Everyone focuses on things differently
Different styles, different priorities, and different levels of comprehension and sensitivity to words.
For example, some people think that "efficiency" means getting things done on time and delivering them on time. However, some people believe that true efficiency, in addition to the achievement of results, is also equally important in maintaining warm relationships in the process, so that it can be called "effective". In the same way, some people's "good" means perfect; But for others, "good" is just the foundation, when your good is not equal to my good, what standard should a project be completed to be called "good"?
So, if we rely too heavily on adjectives in a conversation, such as: "I don't think that's detailed," "You're too impatient," "This idea is too idealistic," "It's too vague," then the conversation is almost destined to be hard to reach a real consensus. Adjectives are not worthless, but they often carry too much subjective perspective, blurring the focus of objective facts, and magnifying the cognitive gap between them. In this mode of communication, it is easier for us to feel "not understood" and it is more difficult for us to truly "hear" the other person's voice.
Photo: Zhang Weixuan FB
Language has its limitations, and human feelings are even more subtle.
Our acceptance of "diversity" is often still at the level of ideas, but we rarely have the opportunity to receive substantive training on how to find the possibility of coexistence step by step in the actual situation of difference. I'm convinced that it's not because we didn't work hard enough, but because we didn't have enough opportunities to practice:
- How to understand each other in the midst of differences?
- How do you build trust in the different?
- How to turn each other's subjective perspectives into a space for dialogue?
Not only does this require communication skills, these exercises are also easy to fail (many, many, many times myself), and it also takes courage to carry out them, as well as the ability to deal with constructive conflict. These exercises allow the team to become more mature.
A mature team will be more willing to let go of unnecessary attacks and defenses when they see the differences: practice starting with "Am I offended?" The instinctive reaction translates into "At what point do we misunderstand each other now?" inquiry; Willing to start with "Why does the other party always understand me?" turned to "How can I make the other person understand more clearly what I really care about?" of thoughts.
Sometimes, it is even necessary to move from the insistence of "I know I am right" to allowing yourself to admit that "maybe, my understanding of things is incomplete."
Maturity is a prerequisite for the practice of diversity and inclusion
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
Over the past decade or so, I have worked side by side with many people of different maturity levels, styles, and cultural backgrounds – including myself, the so-called maturity is also in this constant collision and learning, continuous practice and cultivation. I know that not every relationship will reach the other side of deep understanding and total trust. Not every conversation can easily pass through the ambiguity of words, subjective projections and criticisms, and those deep-rooted habitual misunderstandings.
But I always believe that as long as we are willing to be more patient and less critical; If you are willing to let go of the inherent presuppositions and try to understand the uniqueness and difference of each individual from behind the appearance of language, then this relationship has more possibilities to move forward and grow together. Because, each of us is different. So when someone is different from me, instead of directly labeling it as "it's really hard to work with this person", I want to ask myself, "What else can I do in this relationship?" How can I try to make this experience even better?"
I understand that working with people who are very different from me can be challenging at times. The reality of diversity may not only make the road to consensus longer, but also increase the time cost of collaboration in the early stage. But at the same time, it is precisely in this collision of diversity that we have the opportunity to expand our horizons, see more diverse and rich perspectives, let go of those habitual thinking that we once took for granted, and also give teams and organizations the opportunity to identify blind spots that we were not aware of in the past, and diversity can create opportunities for both individuals and organizations.
May we all be able to slowly walk out of a path closer to each other and more sincere in the differences and collisions again and again.
General Mills: From response to prevention of bias and micro-discrimination, we create a friendly workplace
Taiwan General Mills Co., Ltd. advocates and supports DEI for the first time in the form of physical training, inviting female fans to conduct a course on "From Coping to Preventing Prejudice and Micro-discrimination, and Creating a Friendly Workplace Environment", which is an advanced practical course on unconscious bias, hoping to train employees not only to learn to identify and reflect on bias, but also to deliver in concrete ways to improve communication models, so as to create a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace culture.
Image: Woman fan LinkedIn
Merci trainers remind, "Treat others as you would like to be treated and do not want to be treated." When we are more aware of the potential biases we may have, we have the opportunity to reduce the occurrence of microaggressions, build a more psychologically safe workplace environment, and improve team effectiveness.
We also received sharing from the participants after the course, saying:
"Through the course, I will learn to identify and respond to micro-discrimination and micro-aggression, and help me understand how to prevent discrimination in the workplace."
"We look forward to applying what we have learned in the classroom to our daily work, reduce bias in action, and create a more inclusive team culture."
"Deeply understand the importance of empathetic communication, and learn how to practice it in the workplace to prevent conflict and misunderstanding."
"Reflect on the unintentional microaggressions of the past and hope that you will be more aware of potential biases, adjust the way you speak, and establish more empathetic communication."