HCI Managing Partner and Principal, Dr. Jonathan Westover has an article featured in Forbes today, "What A Korean Proverb Teaches Us About Diversity In The Workplace."
Dr. Westover share the Korean proverb, 우물 안에 개구리, or “frog in a well.” He argues, "The truth is, we are all like frogs in a well to a certain extent. We are all born and raised within a particular culture and context, with espoused values that inform our view of the world around us and create the lenses through which we interpret our interactions with others. However, this understanding in our childhood is necessarily simplistic and limited as we go through the stages of cognitive, social and moral development. We all have deeply embedded implicit (and sometimes explicit) biases and even prejudices based on our own particular upbringing, adjacent cultural conditions and predominant ideologies."
He continues, "We all have biases and limitations to our thinking and understanding of the complex world around us. As we recognize these limitations, we can take proactive steps to broaden our exposure to diverse ways of knowing and understanding the different individuals and environments we interact with. Ultimately, we can discover ways to both honor and respect our upbringing, while simultaneously valuing the perspectives and views of those around us, thus becoming a frog outside of the well. By doing so, we will increase our productivity, creativity and decision-making capacity."
Take a look at the full article and let us know what you think.
