Tolerance of New Ideas is Mandatory…
At the start of my work with individuals, groups, or organizations, I establish the fact that censorship of ideas is intolerable. New ideas must at least be tolerated, even if they’re not openly welcomed, to make the JUMP! Innovative Change Model work. (As a side note, just tolerating new ideas isn’t a strong platform, but it is a step above outright censorship! I like to strive for eagerness in seeing/ hearing/receiving new ideas—that’s the long-term goal.)
However, eliminating censorship is a difficult thing because there are two kinds, overt and covert. Overt censorship is easy to spot: When someone uses their positional authority (I’m a director and you’re not. You’re a peon.) to drive an outcome or when someone invokes one of the statements I used back in Stage Two (Incubate), Step One (Banish Barriers): Let’s form a committee. Covert censorship is more difficult to spot, and no surprise, it’s more important to address.
Covert censorship shows up in body language or in bad behaviors. Some examples:
- Eye rolling
- Head shaking
- Squinted eyes with furrowed brows
- Arm crossing
- Multi-tasking (can’t put down that Blackberry)
- Showing up late
- Leaving early
- Hanging back
- Drifting in and out of sleep
This list is not all-inclusive, but I’m always on guard and watch for behaviors on it. And, as the pain-in-the-backside facilitator, I mention it when I see it. I don’t put people on trial for their bad behavior or distracting body language, but I point out the fact that there are some detractors in the group, and I ask the group what they want to do about it: Allow it? Address it?
What happens here is that covert censorship becomes overt as everyone (in addition to me) becomes aware and begins looking for it. The detractors have been flushed into the open. As such, the group begins to establish norms related to censorship. I find that the group itself will begin calling out those who are censoring things and will look actively to address the situation and eliminate censorship.
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Richard Florida, PhD, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, wrote a terrific book back in 2002, The Rise of the Creative Class, and How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life, that talks about the value of Tolerance in a creative community or society. Tolerance, to Dr. Florida, is a mandatory element in creativity.
In the table below (taken from the book’s preface to the paperback edition — copyright, Richard Florida, used with permission), take a look at the communities that have the highest tolerance level versus those with the lowest. Here are some questions / observations for you as you consider Dr. Florida’s assertions…
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- Are there any conclusions you might draw?
- What type of a community do you live in?
- Describe your neighborhood…
- Describe your home…
- Describe Yourself…
- What kind of business are you part of?
- What about your workgroup / team / department / division / unit?
- What about you as an employee?
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Tolerant vs. Intolerant Communities
