Few people deny a desperate need for new decision-making tactics that help workplaces back to health. Increasingly, we see morale sinks along with fleeing productivity.
A closer look, though, shows that too many decisions are skewed because we … hop on one foot … reach with one hand … see with one eye … and, hear with one ear only.
Have you seen it happen? We fight more for what we want … and then make decisions that add less than we need. How are decisions made where you work?
Interesting new research shows that expectation shape our viewpoints. Check out studies by Dr. Susana Martinez-Conde, which challenge traditional ideas about how we make decisions, based more on what we expect. For instance…
1. We see with one eye and fight as our best or only way to secure peace.
2. We hop on one leg to cut down forests as a way to sustain an economy.
3. We reach with one hand to barricade the poor and favor rich or powerful.
4. We hear with one ear and exclude others’ culture, beliefs, and values.
5. We speak from one side of our mouths for one side only to complex issues.
My question is … What would it take to start a new roundtable? Let’s ask an African American woman for a business solution. A white man for additions. A Native American woman for further wisdom. A Spanish man for his best remedy. A white woman for her unique angle. Let’s ask more ages and include both genders ... until we make decisions that ratchet up the bottom-line.
But who decides in the end?
When a facilitator leads as guide-to-the-side – rather than sage-on- a-stage, inclusion results. Workplaces drawn on more brainpower and business booms. It takes skill to see and act clearly though, according to neuroscientists. Dialogue is the place to start, vision offers a view to shoot for, and consensus-building unites differences. What do you think?
Hello Ellen:
I agree. You neatly show us the benefit of completeness, as opposed to the lure of a partial (in both senses of the word) point of view. I can see that 2 footed questions will help to complete the picture.
Posted by: Galba Bright of Tune up your EQ | October 7, 2007 3:39 PM | Permalink to Comment