Meaningful Diversity: Creating Cultures of InclusionWritten by Susan J. Schutz
As you look around your workplace do you see a too comfortable “sameness” in faces present? Are you able to make decisions almost too quickly because you’re all “on same page?” Do you find yourself doing things same way and getting same, or even diminishing, results? Same, safe, easy, comfortable, nice, and good will never get you further down your road to innovation, excitement, success or greatness than you are in this moment. Explore how dynamic tension of differences, properly harnessed with respect and shared purpose, enable organizations to achieve new heights—and have fun making climb! In fitness room other day, I caught a glimpse of a movie trailer on television. A father spoke very open-heartedly with his son about his work as a fireman. He acknowledged fear that welled up in him when he looked into a small, dark room filled with life-threatening heat and flames, and described instinct to run in opposite direction. He had to pause in a safe hallway and assess situation, father explained, consciously remember why he had chosen his work – and why he must go forward into fire despite his fear. Strange as it may sound, I find creating a culture of inclusion to be a lot like this. People differ in so many ways that wherever two or more are gathered “combustion,” in one form or another, is likely to follow. Although they may be uncomfortable at times, these differences are vital. Our challenge is to understand this sometimes fiery vitality and, despite discomfort or fear, make a conscious decision to move forward anyway. If we can do this, invisible walls that divide people begin to burn away and benefits of their shared presence and participation can emerge. As H.E.B. grocery spokesperson Winell Herron, Group Vice-President for Public Affairs and Diversity, noted at a recent presentation before Texas Diversity Council, U.S. businesses initially accepted cultural diversity initiatives because it was legal thing to do, and only later because it was right thing to do. Now, as our language is shifting from diversity to inclusion, people are discovering that creating environments where differences are actively sought out and everyone is valued is also a smart thing to do. This grocery chain’s business case for embracing diversity has focused on increasing innovation, attracting and retaining top talent, accessing a larger supplier base, retaining and expanding existing markets, and increasing revenue. How do you motivate leaders and their teams to begin long journey toward a true culture of inclusion when they haven’t even glimpsed, much less experienced, what is possible? Again, this is like asking someone to leave what is safe, comfortable and known and walk into a fire – for no apparent reason. Then there are those who have been working to bring about change for a long time and are overwhelmed by challenge and “underwhelmed” by results. How do you help keep everyone moving forward when they’re feeling weary and unrewarded? Here are some tips to help you foster a culture of inclusion in your workplace: UNDERSTAND THAT CULTURE SHIFTS TAKE TIME. Working with people is an incredibly complex and rewarding task: greater preparation, higher potential for big pay offs. Like gardening, creating a culture of inclusion is an organic process. You must plan what you want to grow, till soil, provide water and fertilizer, select and plant a variety of “seeds,” and nurture them along. Storms will sweep through and you’ll have to protect your seedlings, and do some replanting. And just like in gardening, timetable and precise form this new culture takes will be beyond your control. Be patient and have faith.
| | Medical Collection. How Organized is your office?Written by Mike Nielsen
At one time or another, all of us have experienced frustration of waiting in a doctor's office. It seems as though every time we go to see doctor or dentist we end up having to wait for a ridiculous amount of time, and then when we finally do get in, we are only "treated" for a few minutes and then sent on our way. I have always wondered why that is case. If doctor is only seeing each patient for a fraction of time that patient had to wait, then what are they doing behind scenes? As a student in field of business, I have often wondered if doctor's offices are slow because they might possibly be a little bit disorganized. I have friends that work in medical offices and they have said to me that things can be a bit crazy because there is so much paperwork that goes on and time to be organized is hard to come by. In this article I would like to propose a few solutions to help medical offices to be more organized.My first suggestion comes by way of organizing all of those hard copies that come into medical office. To get started first head down to your local hospital supplier or office supply store and get some hospital chart dividers. The heavy ones with plastic tabs will last longer and make it easier to find medical records in future. Next, have your medical assistant collect and sort incoming records according to their proper divider. After they all records are sorted according to a specific category, assistant should then go back and sort each section and put into some sort of chronological or alphabetical order. When all records have been categorized and ordered, write a page number on each page so that if page gets used later it can easily be put back in its exact same location. Finally, take your organized record to a copy service and have whole thing copied. After you have it copied, take both complete records and have them 3-hole-punched and put them in binders. Label your copied set of records as "edited copy" so that you may underline, highlight, and write on it as needed.
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