I spent my final two hours of my fifth day at a customer service job taking part in a training session designed to orient new employees to the company culture. My guide dog and I had spent the first four days there learning about the major screens to assist employees in answering questions from anxious people about government programs over the phone. The software that allows me to hear what’s on the screen required me to use at least three…..
While preparing a presentation about making the workplace more friendly to people from diverse backgrounds, I came across Max De Pree’s definition of the term “diversity:”
Diversity: “Recognizing the diversity of people’s gifts, talents, and skills.”
“Interesting,” I thought. “Though my seventh-grade english teacher taught me that one shouldn’t include the term being defined in its definition. Also, I think people’s differing experiences are important, and ideally, we’re not just “recognizing” but “benefitting from” those differences. So…:
Diversity: “Benefitting from…..
Think back to when you were part of a group working towards accomplishing something important. Each of you was running on all cylinders, and you were seamlessly working together in a zone of megaproductivity where time stood still and distractions were nothing but a distant hum.
What distinguishes these groups — known as high-performance teams — from “average” work groups?
According to Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith, the two people who coined the term, high-performing teams (HPTs for…..