Solutions begin as questions—the question that gets asked and who is asking influence the solution. Think about the story of how Sir Isaac Newton came up with the theory of gravitational pull. As the story goes, he was sitting under an apple tree when an apple fell either on the ground or on his head, depends on who tells the story. Either way, the apple falls and he asks himself “Why should that apple always fall perpendicularly from the tree?” This question eventually leads him to postulate the theory of gravity. Now imagine that St. Augustine had sat under a Zeen Oak and been hit on the head by an acorn. St. Augustine, being who he was, might very likely have turned his head heavenwards and asked “Why O Lord hast Thou made this acorn fall upon my head?” Similar situation, yet different men in different times would lead to different questions that would have invariably led to very different solutions (only I made up the whole St. Augustine bit).
On the flip side, if the same kinds of people are asking the same kinds of questions, you are bound to come up with the same kinds of solutions. Additionally, the kinds of questions that get asked, in the first place, are influenced by our priorities/ what matters most to us. If profit matters most, then the questions raised will lead to solutions that maximize profit. If the environment is what matters, then the questions raised will lead to solutions that protect the environment, and so on, and so forth. This might explain why we have a proliferation of apps that allow us to call a cab or order a pizza, but far fewer technological solutions that address some of our greatest global challenges.
How far will technology take us? Well, a lot of that will depend on who gets to ask the questions. So, you see, it is not just about solutions after all. Every solution has a point of departure, a context, a frame of reference and so if we are truly committed to coming up with different kinds of solutions, we actually have to be committed to asking different kinds of questions. In order to do that we have to broaden the pool of questioners; this is why diversity and equity is a necessity. It is not only about having people who look different at the table, but about nurturing spaces where people with different perspectives, experiences, and priorities can raise the questions that will lead to the solutions that will benefit us all.
This is why I want to hack diversity. Hack diversity? What does that even mean? Hacking is no longer just for techies; the meaning of hacking has been broadened. To “hack”, is to modify or to change something in an extraordinary way. Now people talk about hacking just about everything from food to production processes. So, after writing my last article about diversity being upside/down I thought, why not hack diversity? The beauty is that “hacking” diversity and equity could mean a lot of different things and that is the whole point. Remember, the question is as important as the solution. By raising the question of what it might mean to “hack” or modify how we think about, talk about, and do diversity and equity work in an extra-ordinary way, I am providing a new framework in which to do those very things.
In order to help facilitate this process I will start to highlight businesses and organizations that are doing truly innovative work in diversity and equity, harnessing the creative potential of diverse voices in innovative ways in order to come up with truly innovative solutions. Exemplars are an important part of facilitating a paradigm shift. One of the ways that we learn what change looks like is to make visible the work of change-agents. This allows us to more readily make the leap from the ideal to the concrete and identify the actual practices that make change happen.
In my exploration of each organization/business I will seek to answer the following questions:
1) How is this business/organization hacking diversity and equity?
2) How does the work of this organization/business contribute to a paradigmatic shift in diversity and equity?
3) What new questions (or new approaches to old questions) does this business/ organization posit as a result of this shift?
4) How does this business/ organization make diversity and equity integral to the way that they do business?
If you would like to recommend any businesses or organizations that you think should be highlighted as exemplars, fill out this FORM and I might just give them a shout out.
Happy New Year!
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