Kemira

Otso Solhagen

Diversity can be defined in many ways and take many shapes. What is by no means a new a theme, is now influencing the narrative in most companies and industries. Companies in different maturity stages embrace themes of diversity to unleash the power of their people to create better outcomes. In certain industries and companies, the topic has been highlighted for a long time, while others now rush to spread the word and infuse organizational behavior to recognize the phenomenon. While being great way to remind about and recognize it, it’s much more than rainbow-coloured key chains and social media appearance.

It is often stated that a diverse group of individuals come up with better solutions to complex scenarios. Different perspectives and opinions may not always speed up a decisionmaking or ideation process, but may finally result in a better outcome. At times, it may be frustrating to stand with several opposing opinions or options, but finally, it may lead to a better clarity going forward. Digesting opposing opinions may not come easy or naturally to everyone, but can be necessary to map out a greater degree of options and potential outcomes. We often enjoy ideating with individuals similar to us to spin on each other’s ideas and find common ground swiftly. That can even lead to new business ventures or projects and fuel the beginning, but with growth and development, the power of diversity can become a necessity.

Diversity in the working community and organizations is important in the daily operations and development. Many also have professional networks, local or online communities or other connections that can unleash inspiration and create ideas to bring back to work. The social media communities are full of new, exciting contacts, and while exploring new avenues, forging your existing contacts can be powerful. Mentoring and learning from others who have “been there” can be substantial in terms of rolemodeling and learning from their knowledge. For more current themes and solving challenges at hand, it can be great to have someone going through the same things to help each other, create confidence and inspiration. The realistic possibility of that of course vary depending on the role in the organization, in terms of competitive advantage, but functional roles can sometimes spar each other with a lower threshold.

"Diversity in the working community and organizations is important in the daily operations and development. Many also have professional networks, local or online communities or other connections that can unleash inspiration and create ideas to bring back to work"

What I find fashinating is to spar HR topics with HR counterparts and other leaders from not only similar, but also different industries and types of businesses, to expand my cognitive horizon and imagination to current and future scenarios. Using benchmarking is a powerful way to validate the path you’re on or direction you’re planning to take. Doing so with a diverse group of reference points can lead to a broader understanding also of the parallel paths and ways forward. Often times, we are facing similar challenges and current topics across companies and industries – why not connect with one another and get inspired for even better outcomes?

When did you connect with your former peers, not only to catch up and maintain relationships, but to use the power of your connections to gain and share insights? There has never been a better time.