Culture and Diversity

"Diverse voci fanno dolci note." This quotation from Dante's Divine Comedy, "Diverse voices together make sweet music," well embodies the benefits of difference and diversity. The same sentiment holds true more than ever today in the professional workplace. Diversity, difference, and individuality, when brought together, make our businesses and professional lives stronger and more successful.

Each year at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, IDT holds an Executive Advisory Board meeting to discuss prevailing topics and trends and stay current with the needs of dental professionals. Every meeting feels special, and it's always an honor to spend time with dental professionals who venture out at 7:30 AM during such a busy time to add their input and support our cause to provide the best current and useful content to the readership of IDT. Aside from the camaraderie and the respect each of us have for each other, we do seem to dive right into discussing a multitude of topics that address the current state of our profession, each other's visions, and the future needs of our profession. The common thread each individual returns to, no matter the topic, involves the important issues of diversity and culture.

Our board members have a great diversity and run laboratories and businesses that range from two or three people to more than 100 team members. Each of them has valuable thoughts and opinions. Yet as we went around the room, each board member kept coming back to the culture they have created, both in their respective offices and their relationships with their clientele.

In the business world outside of dentistry, large companies often emphasize culture and diversity as a strategy to maintain the organizations' viability. For us and our board, the drive was not a strategic one. Business strategy is important; it provides us with logic and focus for collective action. However, business strategy alone is not enough to create a successful collective professional unit. The environment that we create, or the culture that we build, will define our success. The collective group of a workplace is at its most united when "diverse voci," "different voices," are brought together. Embrace different beliefs, experiences, and ideas, and together, such a culture paves a strategy for success.

Peter Pizzi, MDT, CDT
Editor-in-Chief
peter.pizzi@broadcastmed.com