How to Promote Equity and Fairness
Use round tables and sit in circles—or get rid of tables altogether. Most seating arrangements at organizational meetings and conferences emphasize hierarchy. People are either all lined up in rows to get the word from the authority or are seated at long tables where the head is clearly defined. Both of these processes limit human interaction. The circle is the natural way for people to interact. Changing the seating arrangements promotes democratic interaction. Take experts off the pedestal. Include experts in your deliberations, but do not give them the last word. Have them join you at your round tables. Provide opportunities for interaction and dialogue. Treat everyone as an expert. Consider the consequences of your change process. If it is possible that some people will be negatively affected, develop a fair and equitable process for working with them. Follow the golden rule: think about yourself in the same situation. How would you like to be treated? When change processes are fair and equitable, even those who might be negatively affected are able to participate. If the change process is not fair and equitable, then distrust abounds. Apply the change process to everyone; do not exempt any level or group of people. If the purpose of the change is to increase teamwork, apply this purpose to all functions and levels. If you only reengineer the bottom of the organization and exempt the executives, the reengineering process is destined for failure. Change processes in which one group of people says that the other group must change are inherently inequitable. Apply the change process to the total system. The Axelrod Group, 723 Laurel Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091 Phone: 847.251.7361 Fax: 847.251.7370 |