Saving the Crows

“Stan Gable: Those nerds are a threat to our way of life.” - Revenge of the Nerds.

Species Diversity

What do you do to promote compassion and common understanding when you mix a diverse group of people together in a situation where they must interact closely together, like in a dying spacecraft, a stuck elevator, on a long tour bus ride; like in the office, in a classroom, in a community and keep them interconnected?  It’s difficult and uncomfortable; people revert back to old patterns, cliques, and behaviors under perceived or real threats, different perspectives, change or scarcity.  But interconnectivity is a basic fact of our existence. We must be able to accept our difference to thrive together.

Often in these scenarios, someone, or some group, is cast as the nerds, put on ‘double secret probation’, or treated like the red headed stepchild.  There are the birds and then there are the crows.  The birds are beautiful, colorful, have a sweet song and draw your attention.  People venture on bird-watching trips just to see them. While, when people think about the crows, they liken them to Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven, the harbinger of death, dark, black, big and scary with all the varied sounds they make.  They build scarecrows to keep them away. 

Did you know that recent research has found some crow species are capable of not only tool   use, but they also can construct tools and engage in meta-tool usage?  Crows are considered to be among the world's most intelligent animals. And according to The Berkeley Daily Planet in a 2003 article, “if any bird had the cognitive wherewithal to make its own tools, it would be some kind of crow. Crows, ravens, and their relatives are famous for their adaptability, resourcefulness, sociality, and curiosity. As a group, they have the highest encephalization quotient—ratio of brain size to body size—among birds.”

Crow and Gull

Well, I’ve always been a Lorax,  “I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues. And I'm asking you sir, at the top of my lungs - that thing! That horrible thing that I see! What's that thing you've made out of my Truffula tree?”  Today I speak for the trees and all you crows out there too.  

Diversity is important to survival, growth and learning. Being different is something to celebrate and aspire.  Bloomberg Business Week speaks about the importance of diversity in a company; it’s not just some HR slogan anymore.  It is “crucial to doing business in a world whose populations, by virtue of speedy air travel and even speedier Internet service, become more interconnected by the day.” Yet, it’s so difficult to integrate. Organizations and communities who do not find a way to bring their communities together will simply not succeed.

“Beanie: Because this is a very big idea, my friends. We're talking about a non-exclusive egalitarian brotherhood where community status and, more importantly, age have no bearing whatsoever.”  - Old School

There are approaches toward integrating diversity. But how can you ensure a positive experience for all?   Here’s advice from GE:  You can begin to acknowledge and appreciate that cultural differences exist.  Find ways of adapting, and introducing diversity into your culture rather than forcing others to adapt to your traditional office culture. Allow your culture to change and grow. Encourage communication about differences. Be alert for both verbal and nonverbal cues that might indicate tension. Consider that the root causes of tension could be cultural or generational. Also, examine how your diversity strategy aligns with or differs from your expectations. And don’t neglect the bottom line: Look at how diversifying affects your organization’s or your community’s performance in terms of sales, efficiencies, and customers gained or lost” or relationships built, connections, cooperation and support gained.

Support the crows. Learn from each other. It is the way of the future.  Your only other option is to refuse to grow and embrace the thought that ‘high-school ever ends.’  

High School Never Ends – Bowling for Soup

What are your thoughts?