The Importance of Viewpoint Diversity in Organizations
Diverse perspectives should be platformed not suppressed
In today's world, it has become increasingly common for organizations and communities to not only disregard diverse perspectives but, for ideological and political motivations, actively suppress them. However, it is essential for every organization and community to not only listen to but also amplify the wide array of viewpoints held within its membership. Individuals should actively engage with those who have different beliefs, backgrounds, political persuasions, and experiences.
Echo chambers, where like-minded individuals reinforce each other's perspectives, are unhealthy and sometimes even dangerous. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that organizations suppressing heterodoxy and dissent are "structurally stupid," and will inevitably make serious misjudgments.
Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles
Unitarian Universalism is a case study of how the suppression of viewpoint diversity can lead to organizational breakdown. Traditionally known for its commitment to freedom of belief and expression, personal searches for truth, and tolerance of different beliefs, UU has witnessed a shift towards an illiberal social justice orthodoxy. This new direction expects conformity and stifles and demeans dissent, ultimately squashing the organization's intellectual vibrancy.
In an era of political polarization and tribalism, UU congregations should serve as beacons of how individuals with differing viewpoints and experiences can come together and learn from each other, recognizing viewpoint diversity as a strength.
While the new ideology may claim to promote multiculturalism and diversity, it inadvertently achieves the opposite effect. Every racial, ethnic, gender and other demographic group contains a diverse range of views. Enforcing a narrow ideology fails to represent most minorities and repels most. Educator Irshad Manji emphasizes that genuine diversity requires not just diversity of races, genders, and religions but also diversity of viewpoints.
Skinner House Joins the UUA’s Attack on Viewpoint Diversity
The consequences of suppressing and demeaning diverse viewpoints are evident in declining membership, organizational dysfunction, failed parish ministries, and strife. The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has reported record-breaking drops in membership and the number of congregations, a shortage of ministers, and a growing sense of UU being unwelcoming to many including minorities.
The Seattle UU congregation I attend experienced this. There was a culture of passive conformity, no formal avenues or mechanisms for congregants to express their views to the congregation, a narrowing of perspectives from the pulpit, boards and ministers were ignorant about what many congregants thought, and social justice ideologues promoted a narrow-minded ideology and toxic language that alienated many congregants. This led to strife, misunderstandings, and a drastic drop in membership and pledge donations. The congregation hoped to become more racially and ethnically diverse, but the new social justice ideology and prevailing progressive politics merely attracted white progressives, not racial and ethnic minorities. The membership has become whiter, and the loss of membership and money became an existential threat.
To address these issues, leadership at the congregation introduced regular surveys on various subjects to discover what congregants thought, provided occasional forums for congregants to express their views, and hired an outside expert in non-violent communication to teach members how to express themselves and objectively listen to others. The congregation now holds regular listening circles. While much work still needs to be done, the congregation learned the hard way that expectations of ideological conformity and suppression of expression can be destructive and toxic for an organization.
Various groups and platforms, such as kitchen table discussions, Braver Angels, conversation cafes, and world cafes, provide spaces for productive and open discussions. Communities should take advantage of these.
There are countless advantages to organizations and communities embracing viewpoint diversity.
Understanding People's Beliefs: Actively listening to diverse viewpoints allows organizations to gain insights into what people truly think and why they hold their beliefs. This counters the prevailing ignorance, especially in the realm of politics and race, where assumptions often replace genuine inquiry.
Expanding Perspectives and Knowledge: Learning about the experiences and viewpoints of others broadens one's thinking and scope of experience, promoting empathy, open-mindedness, and knowledge.
Reducing Prejudices: Embracing diverse viewpoints exposes individuals to new information, challenging their preconceived notions and biases. This helps them recognize and confront their biases and rethink their perspectives on various groups and ideas. Numerous academic studies have shown that working with people of different races, ethnicities, and nationalities is the best way to overcome prejudice.
Fostering Creativity: Exposure to unfamiliar viewpoints and mindsets often leads to fresh understandings that stimulate creative thinking and innovative problem-solving. It encourages people to take creative risks and explore unconventional approaches. It counters destructive cognitive biases, including confirmation biases.
Broadening Worldviews: Embracing diverse viewpoints leads to a broader understanding of the world and encourages continuous learning and growth.
Countering Polarization and Tribalism: Political and ideological polarization and tribalism are amongst the most dangerous phenomenon in today’s world, and threatens democracies. Sincerely and open-mindedly engaging with people who think differently is the best way to counter these trends. My experience is that when you open-mindedly engage with your opponents, you learn how much you agree on and appreciate them more as human beings.
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