Diversity & Inclusion – 3

On the occasion of Janmashtami – day of Krishna's birth, we visited the temple. A large number of devotees had gathered together to offer their gratitude to the God for everything he gave us. I could see men and women of all kinds. The thought provoked me to write this post. In my previous post, I started thinking about efficiency in a diversified environment. Many communities have adopted ways to boost their efficiencies and put their differences aside.

Considering the thought of improving efficiency in a diversified environment, requires choosing the most applicable path. Talk to any statistician or a process expert and they would tell you innumerable ways to calculate the best fit line amongst the so many observation points (read individuals). Economists and even human resource organizations are the biggest proponents of finding the bell curves for the best fitting policies. Each of these measures improve efficiency in operations, actions and policies for future.

Unfortunately, I am interested in what the statisticians call "outliers" and also the region that is left out of the bell curve sections. Are they included in the decisions taken for improving the efficiency? Short answer is NO. Hence efficiency works on the principle of exclusion and not inclusion. This is where I am amazed at organizations and their policies. On one side they train us in "Diversity and Inclusion" and on the other hand expect us to be more efficient?

Talking of the outliers, one must carefully watch out for the gaps or the amplitude by which they differ from the "in" position. This gap results in feeling of being left out, distrust and eventually separation from the "in" stream. Feeling of being left out is a very sensitive issue for any one. We can see so many problems erupting everywhere demanding separation from the mainstream. To handle such a movement, one must introspect and understand the real cause. I wonder how many of us have seen these separatist movements in this light.

The Indian scriptures and sages realized this very problem long ago. They understood that efficiency and growth comes at the cost of exclusion and there is not a way that the boundaries can be drawn to include everyone. This is the reason they created 33 million gods for every community resembling them and their thoughts. With a god to represent them, each community has someone to look upon and a motive to move forward.

A poet once expressed similar thought in the Ram and Krishna forms of Vishnu. Rama was "Maryada Purushottam" – man of principles and "Ekampatnivrata" – a man with a single wife. Though much of Brahma's creation wanted nearness with Rama and gain eternity through his company. But Rama's principles created exclusivity and no one could get near. Hearing their cry, Vishnu promised that he would grant their wishes in his next form of Krishna. Krishna was thus "Leela Purushottam" – man of action and he performed "Maha Raas" to include every woman in Brij. Krishna taught the mode of devotion to achieve the God – "Bhakti". Bhakti is the path of inclusion and not exclusion.

Though growth is fuelled through efficiency, it comes at a cost of exclusion. If not managed well, the excluded groups slowly fade away from the mainstream causing separatist movements. Remember, inclusion may give a tardy growth line, but will help you grow with all.