It’s a journey

It is hard to start the personal journey towards more openness, curiosity and appreciation, let alone an organisational one

We are evolutionary wired to define our identity as part of a group. Defining our group works easiest by excluding those who are not like us

We are women versus men, we are Westerners versus Easterners, we are white collar versus blue collar – whatever stereotype you wish for, it exists and it holds us back.

Even language is evolutionary developed, argues Marc Phagel, to create a group and to exclude others: “Different languages slow the flow of ideas between groups…”

Herein lie the possibilities of the times we live in

The means to connect have never been greater. The internet has put knowledge at everyone’s fingertips, communication across any distance and with immediacy is common now, and there are more and more people, who speak the same language. “It is virtually inevitable that we will have a single common language in this world”. (Marc Phagel Ted Talk)

So, we will come together – and while it will cost us – it will bring us many opportunities. To make the transition easier, to not join those groups, that want to move back time to a seemingly safer and more stable status quo, we need to work on getting to know, what drives us and confront our own biases, our own blind spots.

Organizations, who want to compete in today’s fast paced world, especially do not have a choice.