Sensitivity to diversity: The storyteller's ROI

Summary: [You might care to view “The magic connection” before this.] Brands often use cultural hooks to attract diverse people, but may still treat diversity as a ‘thing’ outside of homogeneity. Sensitivity to diversity isn't by magic - global citizenship has to be learned.


New trend in diversity

The Potter series has sold over 335 million copies, the last book released in July 2007 creating a sales record.

The books have been translated into 65 languages. Since the first one was published in 1997, films, video games, and other merchandise spread the Potter theme all over the world. The business achievement is crystal – the rise of a $15 billion global brand!

And more than just a successful product run, the brand has sparked a new trend drawing children away from computer and television, back to the joys of book reading. The Harry Potter ‘magic’ has indeed transcended global barriers.

The touch of gold

It has proved the touch of gold for JK Rowling, once ‘nobody’, now the highest earning novelist in history.

Forbes has named her the second-richest woman entertainer and the forty-eighth most powerful celebrity of the world in 2007.

Legal restraint

But Rowling has been acutely conscious of copyright infringements. She was unimpressed by the tribute paid to her creation at the annual harvest festival in Kolkata, India.

And she zapped them with a lawsuit for ing her Hogwarts Castle as a festival structure for the 5 days of the Durga Puja festivities.

Legal restraint was sought on the festival a few days before the scheduled public opening, if they failed to pay royalty of INR 20 lakhs (about 40,000 USD) – four times their project cost!

Untested assumptions

What happened? Two distinct mindsets and cultures clashed - the individualistic (Western), and the collectivistic (Non-Western). The latter didn’t think that a tribute might involve copyrights, while the former made a linear association of money ‘investment’ with money ‘profits’.

Both sides operated by their own assumptions. The plaintiff in the case didn’t know that ROI is not always about making more money. And the defendants didn’t realize that the spirit of collectivism doesn’t cover the whole world.

Eventually the lawsuit couldn’t stand because the festival purpose was non-profit and anyway temporary.

Sensitivity not magic

Diversity is of interest to organizations that seek a global presence. It represents huge, untapped markets. But diversity may sometimes be seen as a ‘thing’ outside of homogeneity, useful only for business.

Brands have begun to use cultural hooks to penetrate distinct markets, and attract diverse people to their products. But many tend to forget that the associations and assumptions they have so far got by with, may not work here.

Values often raise conflicts. Fact is differences, visible and non-visible, are a constant between cultures. To maintain or grow business positions in the global marketplace, brands need better cultural homework. Sensitivity to diversity isn't by magic – its global citizenship has to be learned.

Comments/Opinions, Anyone??

Sensitivity to diversity: The magic connection!

Summary: In diversity, every now and then ‘bridges’ appear to make us aware of our similarities. Indeed, storytelling makes ‘magic’ connection between cultures.

Every culture of the world has customs, beliefs and values different to others. And, every country has its store of magical stories to tell. Diversity represents this global collective of humanity interacting together.

Ten-armed goddess

In Indian mythology, Goddess Durga is the warrior queen who rides into battle on a lion.

She carries in each hand a magical weapon powered by the gods. Her ten arms each represent a direction she covers in combat – N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, SW, up and down. Thus she rids the universe of demons and their tyrannical designs whenever the gods fail.

Reincarnates of Durga

Goddess Durga reincarnates in several different forms to play different roles within the ‘home’ and outside of it. All are equally revered and worshipped and culturally, each marks an important era of tradition.

She is the daughter of the Himalayan mountains and the original sylvan deity. Worship of the Earth Mother dates well over 5,000 years.

She is also consort to Shiva, Lord of the Universe, and the mother of four other deity – Kartik, the god of war, Ganesh, the god of wisdom, Lakshmi the goddess of wealth, and Saraswati the goddess of knowledge.

Harvest festival

The harvest festival in eastern India, called Durga Puja in her honour, runs for four or five days in autumn/fall each year. This is a celebration of the victory of good over evil that she achieves.

It's also a religious event that honours family and social relationships. Many of the rituals symbolize the worship of Nature and fertility and have been carried forward through the ages.

Housing the gods

Annually in every locality, larger-than-life clay images of gods and goddesses are housed in temporary eco-friendly structures called ‘pandals’ made of bamboo, cloth, papier-mâché and organic paint, where social get-togethers for the festivities also take place.

Where does the money for these elaborations come from? They’re random amounts of subscription/donation collected from local residents or supportive business houses. The objective is to facilitate the spirit of universal sharing, so public participation is always free.

Bridging cultures

In diversity, we quickly perceive our differences with others. But every now and then ‘bridges’ appear magically to make us aware of our similarities instead.

Indeed, ‘magic’ in storytelling fuels the global imagination! For example, the occult brews and magic portions, social and emotional hurdles, battles with incompetence and corruption, as woven into the Harry Potter saga, is a theme that people across the world identify with very well.

On this occasion in October 2007, a local festival committee hit upon highlighting this magic connection between cultures. They decided on replicating Hogwarts School in the housing structure for the images of Goddess Durga and her celestial family on their annual visit to earth, to also honour the worldwide popularity of the magic book series at the festival!

Cont’d 2…the storyteller's ROI

Performance and personality: A last word?

Summary: [You might view the earlier posts “Are we bound by type?”, “Motivated drives”, “The need to win”, “Reactivity: the monkey business!” and “The process of adaptation” before this]. Adeptness and adaptiveness produce brilliant performance. Adequate preparations are needed. Management focus shouldn’t only be on costs and the bottomline.


How does personality relate to performance? You need to know your turf to defend it. a brilliant performance depends on how adept you are at the job, and how well you adapt to the existing conditions.

Match and rematch

Still on cricket, the T20 match between Australia and India at the MCG is a case in point. The one-off game was played after the controversial Test series.

Earlier, in the inaugural World Cup tournament, a young and inexperienced Indian team knocked out Australia (champions in the other two forms of the game), and went on win the tournament. In a ‘rematch’ in India, they did it again!

The host team made it third time lucky on home soil. They blew out the visitors in every department of the game – batting, bowling and fielding. Their scintillating performance gladdened their fans, and cricket-lovers everywhere.

Jet-lagged and clueless

The Indians’ much-hyped ‘explosive’ performance didn’t ignite. Essentially, they’d failed to adapt. There was also the additional stress of ‘defending’ the T20 world title.

Some players arrived only a day or two earlier, to a different geographical space, weather and time. They appeared lethargic and clueless about the conditions. Hence, counter plans lacked fizz, as did their self-confidence against the Australian powerhouse.

Eustress and distress

Situations and contexts differ. Getting acclimatized is stress – but eustress (good stress) that sharpens the faculties and helps the individual be aware, alert, and on their toes.

But distress (bad stress) has a paralysing effect. Challenges are perceived overwhelming, mentally and physically. Under pressure the individual is found flat-footed, and unable to cope. Assumptions don't coincide with reality, and nothing attempted seems to work.

When performance, or non-performance is the end result, people who pay to view an engrossing contest feel cheated – and disrespected by what seemed carelessness and, irresponsibility.

Not only a personal problem

Fact is players need to be in the zone to give off their best. Despite the resilience of youth these players were not! Match preparation should include space and time to balance out the adverse environmental effects on the individual.

Managements also are accountable here. Indeed, their focus shouldn’t only be on costs and the bottomline! They must provide the support and resources most conducive to their people functioning at their peak. This shouldn’t be left as a personal problem but generally in any organization, it is.

Comments/Opinions, Anyone??