BERTHELOT CONSULTING, ME to WE

Moving From "ME to WE"

INTERDEPENDENCE, A PARADIGM SHIFT

Dr. Dolly Berthelot uses Unity in Diversity to mean accepting and appreciating people of all kinds--men and women of varying ages, ethnicity, races, mental and physical abilities, lifestyles, religious, philosophical, and political perspectives, backgrounds, geographic roots, education and training, levels and types of expertise, natural inclinations, etc. That’s the Diversity part. But it also means--and this distinction is critical--learning to live and work together productively for mutual benefit, to find common ground in conflict, to think and feel beyond the individualistic ME to the interdependent WE--as required of every successful family, business, organization, or community. Ultimately, of course, all human beings must make this paradigm shift from myopic individualism to awareness of interdependence--but with respect for each individual. With effort we can find ways to "move from ME to WE," to establish unity within diversity. Not instead of diversity. Within diversity. We must each start wherever and however we are.

THE UNITY IN DIVERSITY IDEAL

Unity in Diversity, as Dr. Dolly Berthelot conceives it, incorporates the following: protecting equal human rights for all, improving human relations, celebrating pluralism, forging healthy relationships across all kinds of diversity, learning to actually capitalize on diversity, striving for common ground and mutual benefit, and collaborating for the common good. Congruent with Steven Covey’s Seven Principles, Amitai Etzioni‘s communitarian thinking, and Scott Peck’s community, this ideal balances freedom and responsibility, integrates individual and collective needs, uses conflict for creative synergy toward improvement. Unity in Diversity is both a moral imperative and a sound policy--from organization to local to global levels.

BENEFITS OF UNITY IN DIVERSITY:

Attract, retain the right personnel, members, citizens
Boost workplace, organization, or community morale
Enhance relationships, teamwork, esprit de corps
Communicate effectively in any situation
Prevent needless problems, manage conflict well
Improve performance, productivity, quality of work and of life

Questions? Comments? Please email drdollyb@gmail.com