The Hindu Business Line : Diversity – Beyond Amar Akbar Anthony

That’s right – my earliest exposure to diversity as an idea was through the famous Manmohan Desai blockbuster of the 70s. It was held out as an example of our celebrated pluralism and diversity – something which we ought to be proud of.

From Amar Akbar Anthony in the 70s, to the more recent combine of Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Dr Kalam, our notion of diversity has evolved beyond the usual stereotypes – in the process giving colour and character to the social fibre of our country. It is no surprise, therefore, that organisations are realising the value of ‘diversity dividends.’ This appears to be the current flavour.

The conference circuits seem to be abuzz with the subject and organisations are being quizzed on diversity with tiring regularity. The most progressive societies in history have been those that have always encouraged diversity - allowing a myriad cultures and views to amalgamate, resulting in the rich expression of poetry, art, music, architecture, philosophy, science, literature and technology. In many ways, organisations mirror similar social realities. In an increasingly standardised and commoditised world, there is a constant drive to break away from the ordinary. In attempting to build a diverse culture, you sow the seeds of a truly agile organisation, creative in its thinking and open in its acceptance of divergent views.

There is, however, a need to avoid being trapped in a maze of diversity data and numbers that impress but do not convey enough. Did we, for instance, set out telling ourselves that 30 per cent of employees in Wipro would be women? The answer is ‘no’. To me, it is a reflection of what I call the ‘diversity attitude’ of the organisation.

You can’t configure an organisation to a desired number – what you can certainly do is to create the conditions that will allow you to build the organisation you desire. The more relevant questions to me would be whether we are building an environment where people of all cultures, backgrounds and ethnicity can come and work as cohesive teams, where the organisation accepts heterogeneity in all its hues, where leadership mirrors diverse shades and view-points and where people feel their individuality can still find expression while coming together in this corporate commune. If one can, it unleashes a burst of creative expression which can make your organisation stand apart.

The renaissance era gave us the likes of Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo, Copernicus and many more artists, thinkers and reformers – was it merely the generosity of that age to have had such talent come together and make a deep impression or did that age create an environment to have led to the explosion of knowledge, art, poetry, politics and religion through these individuals? I would imagine it has to be both.

The workplace of the future will be no different – a true celebration of diversity can best happen in an environment that allows for the expression of individual talents. In fact, it will become the basis and reason for talent to come together in the first place.

Till then, do compile the metrics and track the numbers if you will – do not, however, stop at it. And of course, for the post-90s generation, do take time out and watch Amar Akbar Anthony for some early inspiration.

(The writer is Executive Vice-President – Human Resources, Wipro Ltd.)

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