DIVYANG: Up the game from ramp to board room

Henry Newman’s prayer “Lead kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead thou me on!” is answered at “Dialogue in the Dark”, a restaurant in Hyderabad. You enter a completely dark restaurant, led by servers and guides who are blind. It’s unique emotional experience when you get to rely on other’s senses. There is complete role reversal and the experts are the ones who can’t see. You understand your limits, learn to communicate with other in unconventional ways, and reinforce a collaborative mind-set. 

We have all seen, believed and appreciated women in leadership and experienced the impact it can bring to business. We are convinced about the inclusive culture and the overall benefit it brings to the workplace. But can we replicate our thoughts to this other group that is always in the shadows: DIVYANG — the physically challenged? 2011 Census study reveals that 22 million of India’s population lives with physical challenge. Let us try to understand them and ourselves, and why it makes sense to up the game.  When we meet someone for the first time, we often judge them on the basis of their physical appearance or exterior visages. And we often perceive a person’s physical inabilities far beyond the limits of his own challenge, which in turn compounds our attitude towards them. For example, we perceive a person affected by polio to be less mobile and unsuitable for a job that requires traveling. 

All in all, our own attitudes determine not only the social expectations and treatment accorded to a DIVYANG, but also his self-image. The message that perhaps a DIVYANG child receives about self from the environment, to a large extent determines his attitude about who he is, what he can do and how he should behave. This is the process of internalization of role expectancy. If parents perceive their child as different from what is considered “normal”, they will, generally, treat him differently, thereby encouraging him to be different from normal. Our stereotypes guide our interactions with the differently abled and they, like others, build ideas and feelings about self through such interactions. Rejection produces inferiority, self-consciousness and fear. A DIVYANG rarely finds opportunities in society because of social rejection, discriminatory employment practices, architectural barriers and inaccessibility to transport.

Let us see how we can make a business case to have the differently-abled on Board. 

A DIVYANG learns some life skills which are taken for granted by a normal person. 

Planning and strategizing: Each time a physically challenged person has to go to a new building, he will look for information about the building, whether the building has elevators, if there will be any help in case he is stuck and other such elements. While traveling by train, the person will visualize and assess the possibility of reserving more accessible seats. Thus, for each new activity, he does meticulous planning of time and resources so that they are utilized to yield highest possible return. 

In an organization, such a person’s strength’s will be planning and optimum utilization of time and resources. 

Problem Solving: A DIVYANG confronts adverse situations every day and is forced to develop solutions for those situations. For example, a person with a crutch who needs to access an elevated area will plan ahead to have friend accompanying who will support him. 

An important skill one learns while living the life of DIVYANG is identifying challenges and defining them for developing solutions. Such a person would evaluate the solution alternatives to achieve the desired outcome while retaining as much independence as possible.

Back to working in an organization, where a leader has to generate solution alternatives within the restrains of resources — doesn’t this life skill of DIVYANG seamlessly fit into organizations requirements?

Team Spirit: A DIVYANG has limitations and needs support to do some tasks. But he has the natural adeptness on when to give control to a more capable person. He contributes with his strength and seeks support to compliment his efforts to accomplish tasks. His physical challenges force him to see through his strengths as well as challenges that threaten the success of his efforts. His vulnerability to challenging situations forces him to do scenario planning and anticipate change.  In an organization, we look for such virtues for building a High Performing Team, which a DIVYANG practices every day. 

Organization & patience: A DIVYANG would need more effort to accomplish a task compared to his normal peers. Activities require more time, planning and extra effort. This causes impatience when he compares his productivity to his peers, but learns to have patience, organizes his efforts and generates solution alternatives to improve his productivity. He may appear slow in his efforts but he thinks over to get the complete picture, generate solution alternatives and then execute his plan. 

Haven’t we heard organizations telling their managers about delayed response and thinking through the problem holistically? 

Let us do a “dialogue in the dark” to remove our stereotypes, and observe and assess the differently-abled on their life skills. We will suddenly see a big, untapped talent pool emerge. 

A DIVYANG will reach Board Room when each one of us says “I need a DIVYANG in my Team”; and be the face of change I want to see.