Diversity of thought

You may be wondering what the title of this article means. When I first came across the expression ‘Diversity of thought’, I wondered the same thing. What does it mean, what is the definition and why should I be interested in the diversity of thought?

There are many definitions, but the one I like best is: ‘Diversity of thought is the reality that there is more than one way to think about something. It’s understanding that the way each person interprets and interacts with the world is reflective of their unique identity, culture and personal experiences’. It is aligned with the quote that ‘Diversity is the art of thinking differently together’.

It is important to recognise that we are all individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, knowledge and expertise and that working together can contribute to achieving better outcomes.

Have you been to a meeting or worked with others who have challenged your ideas and ways of working, putting forward aspects that you had not thought of and even disagreeing with you? It is easy to feel that these interactions can be very destructive and avoid them altogether if this is possible. On reflection, it is important that we listen to others’ opinions; different ways of thinking about an idea or a problem can provide a better solution or way forward.

I recently had the pleasure of being a panellist at the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Research Symposium and presented on diversity of thought. It was a great opportunity to hear from my fellow panellists and the audience and their different life experiences. There were some really interesting comments and questions and the sharing of challenging experiences in relation to diversity and acceptance. There were also some great ideas and examples of how different people have worked well together to achieve goals and how different organisations have adopted and are promoting diversity in the workplace.

In my experience, working with a diverse group of people is not only enjoyable but achieves great non-destructive testing (NDT), capturing and capitalising on the diversity of all of our thoughts.

‘Strength lies in differences, not in similarities’.

If you have any thoughts or ideas, or are interested in joining the D&I Advisory Group, please get in touch: diversity@bindt.org

Comments by members

This forum post has no comments, be the first to leave a comment.

<< Back