Disruption with Technology and People

What is fascinating to me is that the concept of disruption is lauded with praise on a regular basis with respect to technology--whether it is Uber changing the model of taxi service, or Amazon changing how we purchase books (and now everything else).   Disruption is about revisiting truths that people have held for a great deal of time, turning them on their head and finding a new way to look at them.

Inclusion is the same thing...it is just disrupting how we think about people.  Instead of having systems where women receive less pay than men, what if we revisit our systems and have them paid equally?  Instead of having unconscious bias influence the way we select people for positions, what if we eliminated it from the process and selected them and promoted them truly based on their merit?  Instead of mentoring people with whom we feel most comfortable, what if we mentored someone outside of our normal circles so we could both learn something new?


Disruption is what resulted in the Wright brothers inventing modern flight, women receiving the right to vote, and all black Texas Western team beating Kentucky in the NCAA championship, Jackie Robinson playing baseball---these were all disruptions.  Some with technology, some with people...but they each have changed the modern landscape.   There a are plenty of truths, but one day we can say "no it isn't", and move in a different diretion.