124. An Appreciation For My Colleagues |感謝多元化的同事們
– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 9.28.2021
Because of COVID-19, our interactions with family members, friends, and colleagues have been drastically reduced. This longing for interactions makes me think of my GM colleagues in particular. This group of people had a special significance to me that is different from my other friends. My GM colleagues gave me the true experience of diversity and inclusion.
In my GM days, I was in an organization where the people had a variety of ethnic, economic, and professional backgrounds. They spoke 50 different dialects and were educated globally in Asian, European, and American schools. Their professional skills encompassed art, design, engineering, journalism, science, anthropology, economics, and business. At every turn and every meeting, I could learn something new from someone. Thinking back now, I realize that is the beauty of diversity and inclusion. Because of the common goals of the company, we were required to work together in spite of our individual backgrounds, preferences, and idiosyncrasies. Such diversity was even more pronounced when I took over the global responsibility of leading teams of people from different countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Germany, Sweden, Australia, South Africa, and England. The frequent meetings and travels opened my eyes to different cultures and work environments. I was fortunate to grow professionally in such a rich environment.
Unlike the diversity in a large company, the social or community organizations we join tend to be more homogeneous where people of common interests, ethnic backgrounds, and hobbies will form groups. These groups typically attract people of “similarity and commonality” and are not very conducive to broad diversity. The members of such organizations speak their native languages, do the same hobbies, and share similar viewpoints. Sometimes such exclusivity might cause misunderstanding, resentment, or even hatred from other organizations and nonmembers.
The challenge for any organizational leader is to harvest the affinity of people with similar backgrounds along with the richness of a diverse workforce. Typically, the more developed organizations, companies, and countries do a better job of mastering both affinity and diversity. Let us strive to do the same.
感謝多元化的同事們
-作者 許俊宸博士
-中譯 薛乃綺
因為疫情的影響，我們與家人、朋友及同事之間的互動大大的減少。這種對互動的渴望，讓我特別想起了以前在GM的同事們。這是一群對我來說，有著不同於其他朋友的特別意義。他們給了我多元化以及包容性的真實體會。
當我在GM的時候，我所在組織的同仁們具有不同種族、收入、以及專業背景。他們說著50種不同的方言，並在亞洲、歐洲和美國學校，接受全球教育。他們的專業技能涵蓋藝術、設計、工程、新聞、科學、人類學、經濟學和商業。從每個關鍵點及每次會議中，我都可以從某個人身上學到一些新的東西。現在回想起來，我意識到這就是多樣性和包容性的美妙之處。由於公司的共同目標，儘管我們有各自的背景、偏好和特質，但我們需要在一起共事，就得合作，互相學習。當我接手領導一個國際型的團隊時，他們有來自中國、日本、韓國、德國、瑞典、澳大利亞、南非和英國等不同國家，這使得組織多元化的特性變得更為強烈。頻繁的會議及旅行，讓我對於不同文化及工作環境大開眼界。我很幸運能在如此豐富的環境中，專業地成長。
與大公司的多樣性不同，我們加入的社群或社區組織，往往更為同質；具有共同興趣、種族背景、以及嗜好的人，通常會很容易就聚在一起。這些群體通常會吸引具有”相似性和共同性”的人，而且不容易有廣泛的多樣性。這些組織的成員會說他們的母語，有相同的愛好、擁有相近的觀點。有時候，這種排他性也會引起其他組織和非成員的誤解、歧视甚至是仇恨。
任何組織的領導者都會面臨的挑戰，就是如何擁有相似背景者的親和力、又兼具多元化的包容力。通常，越發達的組織、企業和國家，在掌握親和力及多元化方面會做得越好。讓我們也一起努力做同樣的事情！
