The Rapid Response Institute

Tag: new diversity summit

  • The 1950s Were So Good Because the 1930s & 40s Were So Very Bad

    The 1950s Were So Good Because the 1930s & 40s Were So Very Bad

    An early Baby Boomer, born in 1948 this post war pundit watched (pun intended) the beginning of the broadcast television age, featuring I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Ozzie and Harriet show, Leave It To Beaver, Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club, The Roy Rogers Show, Superman, Looney Tunes, Captain Kangaroo, The Howdy Doody Show and more.  A technological wonder, no less an important marvel than today’s Smart devices.

    The 1950s were a time of a non-existent (TV) American family that has never been reproduced.  My generation was raised watching June Cleaver cleaning her house all dressed up and wearing pearls.  I do not recall my mother (of that peer group) dressed as such doing daily chores.

    After the horrors of World War II and coming off the Great Depression era, America needed a pause.  Europe and Asia needed to rebuild themselves after their self imposed stupidity.  The so-called Happy Days established an Americana right up there with Norman Rockwell‘s vision.

    The 1950s set the stage for our 21st Century.  It established a ‘can do’ approach that persists to this day.  Many do not know that the transistor, the basis of all modern Cloud solutions was invented in the late 1940s and came into fruition during the 1950s.  Enabling the Apollo moonshot ten years later.

    On the down side, the Korean War draw and the Cold War with potential Nuclear Holocaust loomed large and set the stage for defeat in Vietnam.  This first American rout would not be our last.  Afghanistan!

    “Déjà Vu All Over Again”

    Apologies to Yogi Berra, it does feel sometimes like we are in a pre-1950s era.  Economic uncertainty, global political unrest, domestic turmoil, Covid-19, even pending European military hostilities, Asia etc. are all taking their toll on our collective psychic.  It all seems so similar to the late 1930s.

    The British Minister at the time, Neville Chamberlain, perceived as the appeaser did not live to the see the rout of 1940’s totalitarianism.  Had he, he might offer some thoughts about our current situation.  Winston Churchill most certainly would as would Ronald Reagan, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Abraham Lincoln and others.

    Economically, the world fell apart.  Since the safety nets of today that did not exist back then, the impact was massive.  However, our safety nets are under attack.  Inflation may destroy the middle and other classes.  Just like it did in the 1970s—Stagflation.  The worst of all possible economic worlds.

    Our parents and grandparents survived significant and in some cases life threatening problems.  Collectively, society emerged stronger and perhaps happier.  Paraphrasing from the TV series Mission Impossible, “Our mission, should we choose to accept it is to rise to the challenge and makes this world a better place for those who follow.”

    We also remember the 1950s as so good because the 60s and 70s were subsequently very bad.  This does not need to be the case with this social/economic cycle.  We are not doomed to repeat that history and can change our destiny.

    Seems that we are not really trying.  Have we become the nanny state?  Making our parents and grandparents so proud.

    And Yet

    The 1950s were by no means perfect.  Long simmering civil rights tensions began to manifest and certainly many did not enjoy the environment many of us fondly look back upon.  However, this period was a pause that would be rudely awakened, perhaps when JFK was assassinated on November 22, 1963.  Or maybe earlier when Rosa Parks took her stand (or seat) on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 about the time Martin Luther King Jr. was coming into prominence.

    Throughout the 1960s a number of horrendous crimes would be committed against innocent children, activists and others–ultimately leading the assassination of Dr. King.  Moreover, the 1970s would start with Kent State and the Jackson State killings.

    Lessons Learned

    For many, the 1950s were happy days, for others not so much.  Guessing most readers were not alive during this period and perhaps even their parents were too young.

    History is the ultimate task master.  Dooming new generations to relive the past.  However, this need not be the case.  We can and should learn from the follies and successes of those who precede us.

    The 1950s were unique in many ways.  Many in my generation believe that to be true.  However, it seems we are reliving the 1930-1950s era and the outcome might be similar.

    Our challenge is to make sure that does not happen.  History need not repeat itself.  It is up to us.

    What Are Your Organization’s Future/Contingency Plans?

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    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game

    We presented, Should Cross Cultural Serious Games Be Included in Your Diversity Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned at the Online Conference, New Diversity Summit 2020 the week of September 14, 2020.  Check Out this timely event and contact the organizer for access to the presentations!!

    For more on DEI Standards, see the newly released ISO-30415.

    You can contact this author as well.

  • 100

    100

    This edition marks the 100th post in our Critical Mass Blog series.  We have sought to provide thoughtful, unbiased insight into the contemporary business and organizational challenges we all face.  Since our first blog post on November 27, 2017 our world has turned over in ways none expected.  Likely, this trend will continue.

    This series continues a tradition of newsletters, opinion pieces and other on line punditry first begun in 1998 with our New Millennium News.  A bi-monthly email with a subscription base of approximately 7,000 readers.  A huge number at that time.  We estimate that hundreds of thousands or more have benefited from this knowledge transfer.

    Coincidentally, we reach this milestone as we begin the new year–a time of renewal.  We will continue to address critical issues individuals, businesses, agencies and others face as we all navigate an increasingly perilous path.  This series has addressed Human Resource issues including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Teams , the arrival of Smart Technology, International Business, Covid-19, Supply Chain Management, Operational Excellence, Cultural Transformation (including Safety Culture) Sales, Risk Mitigation and of course Leadership.  Today’s organizations must be very good at all of these disciplines!

    Available Tools

    The mission of the Rapid Response Institute (RRI) is to enable our clients with the ability to posture themselves in their market segments so that they can thrive in volatile markets and capitalize on uncertainty, not suffer because of them.  This is especially important for those economic actors in Critical Infrastructure sectors.

    In support of this mission the firm has developed a suite of Intellectual Property (IP) which includes Know How, practical roadmap Books and guidelines as well as Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions among others.  Many readers know that once a process has been standardized with minimal configuration required, the data is the ultimate driver.  This is the heart of most Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.

    With advances in technology, RRI has taken these once multi-million dollar solutions to a price point as well as Use Case where all organizations can utilize this capability.  Moreover, our advancements in work flow such as epitomized in our Cross Cultural Serious Games, Economic Value Proposition Matrix, and Smart OpEx (Operations Management System) and Risk Simulation Modeling add immediate and significant value to the challenges faced as articulated above.  Other Free Tools are available as well.

    Pulling It All Together

    The method to our madness is–Operations!!  As some are fond of saying with derision, “It’s All About the Benjamins.”  Well, it actually is.  If ‘for-profit’ firms are not profitable, they fail.  No amount of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) will save them if they cannot deliver to paying customers.

    Everything RRI does helps organizations to deliver stakeholder value, compliant with ESG standards.  That is our Bottom Line and we are also pleased that Dr. Shemwell, Managing Director has been an independent advocate for responsible corporate success since 2004.

    FYI, major losses and legal actions do not enhance stakeholder value.  Neither for employees, local communities or equity holders.  Everyone loses when in terrible scenarios such as Deepwater Horizon, internal bias corporate hubris, poor high reliability processes/human factor shortcomings or lack of actual DEI.

    This journey continues.  Stay tuned for the next 100 editions where will continue to provide our thoughts on relevant matters.  Thank you very much for your readership and support.

    How is Your Organization Positioned for the Next Four Years?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game

    We presented, Should Cross Cultural Serious Games Be Included in Your Diversity Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned at the Online Conference, New Diversity Summit 2020 the week of September 14, 2020.  Check Out this timely event and contact the organizer for access to the presentations!!

    For more on DEI Standards, see the newly released ISO-30415.

    You can contact this author as well.

  • Are Your DEI Wheels Spinning?

    Are Your DEI Wheels Spinning?

    Originally published as a LinkedIn article on July 6, 2021, this updated version is reprinted here with the permission of the author.  Links to relevant sources are added.

    Lately, many LinkedIn posts bemoan the state of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The seeming slow take up of great ideas.

    Some argue that DEI initiatives are no more than window dressing or organizational efforts to stave-off litigation. To others, they have the appearance of one more management initiative that if waited out will simply go away like so many others before.

    Fundamentally, DEI initiatives require change. A change of (B)ehaviors in the face of seemingly new situations or influencing (C)onditions (Circumstances, Capabilities, Cultures, Environments). When these two variables evolve, so do exiting (R)elationships. The RBC model is well established in social science and was first used to model Cross-Cultural (international business) Negotiations.

    It is multi-dimensional including a temporal schema capable of addressing numerous aspects of human behavior. Furthermore, it encompasses cultural as well as other situational aspects such as individual backgrounds.

    We tested this model using Japanese and American executives. This culturally diverse group needed to develop a level of trust if negotiation outcomes were to be successful.

    Likewise, successful DEI initiatives require that culturally diverse groups develop a high level of trust among those working together and/or members of teams.

    “Tell Me and I Forget. Teach Me and I Remember. Involve Me and I Learn”

    Attributed to Benjamin Franklin, this quote tells us all we need to know. The so-called Death by PowerPoint lecture long in vogue are often forgettable. Instruction, along with the homework prerequisite and tests are traditional methods. Finally, engaging individuals, teams, departments and even entire organizations can create long standing sustainable knowledge that is the basis for behavioral transformation.

    Paper based serious games or “games whose purpose is other than entertainment” originated in the late 1960-70s. In a nutshell, this is an interactive training solution. Subsequently, online serious games can incorporate actual scenarios designed to immerse players solving real world challenges.

    Rather than a video game whereby players engage with electronic decision trees, human-to-human serious games train players/teams to deal with diverse yet real colleagues. Collaborative scenarios direct participants to collectively solve problems while learning how their culturally dissimilar counterparts address the same challenge.

    Scenarios can drive engagement by all players including those who may not be typically involved in decision making processes. This is also a safe, no-harm no-foul environment with little to no individual decision-making risk.

    Transformation

    Any successful ‘change’ initiative must answer the What’s in It for Me? question. Humans may resist change if they do not see personal value from such actions. Moreover, while senior executive leadership is required, heavy handed top down My Way or The Highway may result in direct resistance, and/or a more crowed freeway to the exit ramp.

    For example, the current version of the smart phone was first available circa 2007. According to Statista, approximately 1.38 billion smartphones were sold in 2020. Likewise, over 46 percent of the global population own these devices.

    What does this have to do with DEI? In 2006 cellphones were great and becoming ubiquitous. No one knew they needed a smartphone. Our collective Behavioral transformation was caused because the What’s in it for Me question was answered.

    One component of the Conditions criteria, Capability changed as this technology enabled individuals to drive new behaviors based on Apps that emerged. The resulting transformation in our Relationships is well documented, i.e., the use of text as opposed to voice.

    Sustained transformation requires continued energy. The term ‘initiative’ implies a short-term event and one that will pass.

    Trust must be established and maintained. Over time, sustained energy will result in critical mass, or the (statistically significant) number of individuals engaged and trusting each other. This self-sustaining energy is transformation.

    Reframing DEI Initiatives into the RBC Framework can enable dramatic and rapid transformation. Take advantage of these types of cross-cultural models.

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game

    We presented, Should Cross Cultural Serious Games Be Included in Your Diversity Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned at the Online Conference, New Diversity Summit 2020 the week of September 14, 2020.  Check Out this timely event and contact the organizer for access to the presentations!!

    You can contact this author as well.