#BalanceforBetter: How to Equilibrate Differences
Balance — this is the motto of International Women’s Day, which we celebrate worldwide on March 8. A very relevant and beautiful theme, because it allows so many different interpretations, perspectives and nuances. For me personally, two are particularly important: balance as stability and resilience, as the ability to adapt in challenging or difficult situations. On the other hand, balance as plurality and diversity, as equation of voices, cultures and opinions.
Diversity as a source of inspiration for personal balance
In this video, I tell you how my colleagues and the entire team at the Porsche Digital Lab in Berlin support me in maintaining my personal balance in professional life:
For me, this form of personal balance is strongly connected to diversity. Of course, International Women’s Day is focussing on gender balance. But for me, #WomanAtWork is just one of many aspects that we need to talk about for more balance in the world of work.
Diversity: balancing diverse opinions and perspectives
I am very lucky to be able to work at Porsche Digital Lab Berlin and also at Porsche Group in a very diverse environment. In my team, so many great people from different cultures, disciplines, genders, backgrounds and age groups come together. We complement each other, examine topics and challenges from different angles and thus comprehensively — this brings us into a great balance.
If a team member has a bad day or a mental block, the fresh perspective of a collague can help. In this way, projects are less likely to come to a standstill or to run into dead ends. Of course, this also happens — failure is an important part of the learning process, especially in a world that spins so fast.
Diversity as mental strength and team balance
New, intelligent technologies seem to develop with the speed of light, we see new approaches, concepts and developments every day — this is incredibly exciting and at the same time very challenging. The diversity in our team helps us to cope with our ever-changing working environment — it helps us remain in balance: one brick breaking away doesn’t mean the whole house collapses. The balance of different perspectives thus becomes the basis for mental strength, teamwork and the ability to face new challenges with a positive attitude.
This works particularly well in the Porsche Digital Lab because our teams are self-organised — they decide when, how and where they work, which tools, methods and concepts they use. This can be completely different with each project and team, all members make this decision together — always having in mind the overall goal and customer benefit.
For me as a business information scientist, customer centricity is the decisive point. We very much believe in early customer testing. That way we quickly see whether the solutions are used and loved or whether we are on the wrong track. I am aware that such an early customer feedback takes a lot of courage and strength and that this way of working is only gradually finding its way into other professional groups and interdisciplinary teams.
Diversity and agility change teams and leadership
Self-organisation gives whole teams as well as individual colleagues the opportunity to work self-determined, to find their own way. I am firmly convinced that this will have a long-term positive effect on motivation, creativity and ultimately on results as well. Self-organised teams also continuously improve their problem-solving skills through their working method. In my view, this is one of the most important skills for tomorrow’s world of work — besides the ability and will to lifelong learning.
Although this may sound like autarkic teams — leadership plays an important role in working model, too. Not the classical one, of course, that is driven by hierarchical thinking and knowledge for the sake of action or control. Leading self-organised teams, leading in times of digital change, means being a coach and sparring partner. Giving tips and holding yourself back to encourage the team. To support it in finding its own way — and not to dictate it. Even if this is difficult sometimes 😉 Over the years I have learned that the team knows best how it wants to work and how it can achieve its goals. This valuable, natural balance must not under any circumstances be endangered by an outdated style of leadership.
Together to the #BalanceforBetter
It is very inspiring for me to see how teams develop. To experience how they face challenges together, grow with them and find new approaches again and again. This proves: Diverse teams bring more balance into the working world, a balance that leads to more creative, more comprehensive solutions.
That’s why we have to promote diversity and actively support #WomenAtWork, #BalanceforBetter, simply a more colourful world of work!
