Welcome to another edition of English that works: developing communication skills for everyday interactions. This week there’s a quiz!
Good decisions drive success. And good decisions are a hallmark of a company culture that values innovative thinking, problem-solving and a comprehensive understanding of its customers. Cultivating these attributes requires a commitment to building in diversity and creating trust.
What does diversity mean? Think of the nearly 1.5 billion people in India. Are their lives the same? Imagine how your life experiences would have been different if you had been born into a family with a different socio-economic background, different religion and in a different part of India. Would you have had the same journey through life if you were born a different sex or if you had different abilities? How would these differences affect your outlook and choices?
Now think of the five people you message most often. Do they share your educational background, political views and social standing? When you express an opinion will most of them agree with you? When this happens, we call it an echo chamber.
If your company is one large echo chamber, or if everyone always agrees with the boss, then your business is at risk of becoming irrelevant and making bad decisions.
Here are four questions to ask about decision-making in your organisation:
Who makes the decisions? Too often these people share similar backgrounds. If that is the case, how do you know that those decisions are not excluding significant segments of your market?
Are your decisions subject to robust scrutiny? Good decisions are made when risks are examined and the decision has been subject to healthy challenge. The more varied viewpoints you have at your disposal the stronger your decision-making process will be.
Do staff feel encouraged to share their perspectives? Diversity includes seeking the views of staff at different levels of the organisation. Do you have forums for all staff to offer their ideas and opinions? Don’t let a fear of inviting feedback lead to bad business decisions.
Is there a culture of trust and respect? When people have lived experiences that differ from the dominant group, they may be less comfortable offering their views. Staff must know they won’t be ignored or disparaged but they will be heard and respected.
Scrutinising decisions means asking questions. How confident do you feel asking more complex questions in English? There are 13 in this article. Underline the main verb in each one and then decide whether there are zero, one or two auxiliary verbs.
For example: What does diversity mean?
- The main verb is ‘mean’
- There is one auxiliary verb (does)
Check your analysis at http://bit.ly/DiversityQuizQuestions. We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you would improve decision-making through diversity in your workplace
We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you would improve decision-making through diversity in your workplace. Send your ideas to englishthatworks@deccanherald.co.in.