Cultivating Innovative and Collaborative Spaces
Douglas Ferguson
President @ Voltage Control | Facilitation Academy | Author | Educator
Facilitators often lead the charge when cultivating innovative and collaborative spaces by applying a DEI lens to meeting systems and processes. While many organizations have made significant progress within DEI in recent years, we still see ample opportunity to consciously build and prioritize inclusive collaboration.
A?recent study ?found that women are still underrepresented in the workplace at every level and women of color are the most underrepresented group of all. Research revealed that the underrepresentation of women in high-level roles wasn’t due to lack of education or attrition rates. Instead, the biggest obstacle that women face is the first step up to manager or the “broken rung.” This broken rung results in more women getting stuck at the entry-level and fewer women becoming managers.
As leaders in our organizations and industries, it’s our responsibility to?prioritize cultural and organizational changes ?that reduce gender inequality. It’s critical to create more equitable access to resources and invest in business opportunities for women.
By authentically bridging this gap, inclusion drives an organization’s overall collaborative success. At Voltage Control, we infuse our?meeting mantras ?to support a more inclusive collaborative culture. Human Resource leader Jen Soerensen cites five ways to?build this inclusive and collaborative culture :
?1. Don’t sugarcoat it.?Create a space that is respectful but can still say what needs to be said.
?2. Lower your defenses.?Do you face the world with your armor raised, ready to defend against attacks? A defensive team is a fractured team. When you begin to feel defensive come back to a place of collaboration and partnership.
?3. Watch out for siloed teams.?Siloed teams don’t just hinder collaboration– they hurt morale and make cross-selling almost impossible. Proactively let other divisions know what your team is working on. Doing so makes a statement that ideas are welcome and knowledge sharing the status quo, not the exception.
?4. Give shout-outs.?You’re not the only one at your company doing great things– let your colleagues know when they’ve done something you admire!?
?5. Stop worrying about how you look on video calls.?Depending on how you feel about “Zoom fatigue,” this last one could be the trickiest of all. But with remote and hybrid workforces continuing to trend upward, put any fears of being on video to rest.?
For more on the state of work and how you can better build teams that will thrive in today’s evolved workplace,?download Work Now ?today!
Douglas Ferguson | President, Voltage Control
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2 年Concise and wise. Like many others, I want the 'no sugarcoating' to be a vital part of how we work. By not exposing any individual to resilience and knowledge building clarity and feedback, we do not serve them well, no matter what. In fact we fail anybody we do not engage with positively intended and well grounded challenge. Amen to all that is said here, and thank you.