If you’re wondering what happens in the meeting room, the answer is R&D magic. I should know, I’m the Arab Christian team lead. And it’s because of our many stripes and colors that the magic can happen.

The talk surrounding diversity intensified at Amdocs nearly a decade ago. We started to have real discussions about diversity and inclusion and joined training sessions that were designed to show how diverse teams are more successful than uniform ones. I remember thinking, if this makes business sense, it must have the same implications for the society at large. Indeed, when I became pregnant with my daughter a couple of years later, I knew it made sense – not just for me personally, but for the wider society -- to send her to a mixed Arab-Jewish daycare center that had opened in my hometown of Haifa.

R&D: Research and Diversity

Despite the focus on diversity, it wasn’t until I transferred to working in R&D at the Ra’anana office that I was able to experience it firsthand. Until then, my team in the Haifa office was more or less homogenous. With the move, I began managing people from all walks of life, and overnight my day-to-day interactions changed drastically. When I encountered someone who is different from me, someone I may not have understood, I automatically felt a sense of discomfort. But it is precisely because I was no longer in my comfort zone, that I worked harder. I had to prove myself. And the process led me to becoming more open. My relationships with my colleagues blossomed as a result.