2 ms·

I would like to take this as an opportunity to ask: Why is diversity important? e.g. in age, gender, race, ?profession? ... etc. Isn't the business built on t

I would like to take this as an opportunity to ask: Why is diversity important? e.g. in age, gender, race, ?profession? ... etc. Isn't the business built on the advantage of particular "group"? And that skill becomes be-all, end-all (e.g. important) to the success of the company?

asmithmd1 11y ago
If you develop a product in a monoculture you are at risk of getting wiped out by a product that has features that appeal to people other than your minority. This summer the US Census published that there are 50.2% children under 5 years old who are minorities. Diversity is it's own reward because no matter how smart you are someone with a different background than yours will bring solutions to problems you would never have thought of.
logfromblammo 11y ago
When all your constituents are the same size and aligned in the same direction, your aggregate material becomes very strong, and hard, but it also becomes brittle. Diamond is 100% carbon, all bonded via identical sp3 hybrid orbitals. It is very hard (10 on Mohs scale), but it also has perfect cleavage in 4 directions. You can cut a diamond in half with a light tap in just the right spot. Diamond cannot be effectively carved, it can only be cut into faceted gems. If you incorporate materials of different sizes and orient them in different directions, your aggregate material becomes very resilient. Nephrite has many interlocking fibers of tremolite and actinolite, like the hairs in felt. Nephrite jade can be carved with exceptional detail. A nephrite bell or war club is reasonable, whereas trying for the same with diamond would be insane. When your workforce lacks diversity, you are counting on its resulting strength to accomplish some goal before an unexpected shock shatters the organization. Or perhaps you can look to the banana. Most bananas in cultivation are clones from the same stock. Nowadays, the variety is the "Cavendish". But the banana on store shelves used to be the "Gros Michel". Panama disease wiped them all out, because they were all the same plant. No diversity means less resistance to external hardships. Cheetahs are so similar in genetics that regardless of numbers, they are just one disease away from extinction. So while similarity does produce better focus on positive goals, diversity is what insulates you from negative shocks. So the natural conclusion that you an I may reach is that companies which lack diversity are looking to grow as quickly as possible and seek a fast exit before their first crisis hits, whereas those that hire more broadly are in it for the long haul, being more able to weather unexpected adversity.

asmithmd1 11y ago

If you develop a product in a monoculture you are at risk of getting wiped out by a product that has features that appeal to people other than your minority. This summer the US Census published that there are 50.2% children under 5 years old who are minorities. Diversity is it's own reward because no matter how smart you are someone with a different background than yours will bring solutions to problems you would never have thought of.

logfromblammo 11y ago

When all your constituents are the same size and aligned in the same direction, your aggregate material becomes very strong, and hard, but it also becomes brittle. Diamond is 100% carbon, all bonded via identical sp3 hybrid orbitals. It is very hard (10 on Mohs scale), but it also has perfect cleavage in 4 directions. You can cut a diamond in half with a light tap in just the right spot. Diamond cannot be effectively carved, it can only be cut into faceted gems. If you incorporate materials of different sizes and orient them in different directions, your aggregate material becomes very resilient. Nephrite has many interlocking fibers of tremolite and actinolite, like the hairs in felt. Nephrite jade can be carved with exceptional detail. A nephrite bell or war club is reasonable, whereas trying for the same with diamond would be insane. When your workforce lacks diversity, you are counting on its resulting strength to accomplish some goal before an unexpected shock shatters the organization. Or perhaps you can look to the banana. Most bananas in cultivation are clones from the same stock. Nowadays, the variety is the "Cavendish". But the banana on store shelves used to be the "Gros Michel". Panama disease wiped them all out, because they were all the same plant. No diversity means less resistance to external hardships. Cheetahs are so similar in genetics that regardless of numbers, they are just one disease away from extinction. So while similarity does produce better focus on positive goals, diversity is what insulates you from negative shocks. So the natural conclusion that you an I may reach is that companies which lack diversity are looking to grow as quickly as possible and seek a fast exit before their first crisis hits, whereas those that hire more broadly are in it for the long haul, being more able to weather unexpected adversity.