Behaviors versus Biases
Sally Helgesen
Premier Expert on Leadership | Best-Selling Author | International Speaker
Change What You Do, Not What You Think
D&I initiatives often provide huge value to organizations, especially those that tie them to mentoring circles, sponsorship, and coaching. Their primary weakness in my experience has been their often-heavy reliance on unconscious bias training, which is a good first step but a first step only in this process, inadequate to the heavy lifting of changing behaviors.
These trainings often start with employee surveys designed to reveal patterns of bias. The results are then used to design workshops or retreats where participants are coached to acknowledge and name their own unconscious assumptions and prejudices, often in a group setting.?
The idea is that, through the simple process of recognition, people will begin to shift their behavior. It’s basically a cathartic model, similar to those popularized by encounter groups, group therapy, and 12-step programs, in which we are presumed to benefit by telling on ourselves.
Rolling out unconscious bias training programs helps leaders feel they are doing something to help address often painful issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Yet the results are often disappointing. Over the years, I’ve spoken with too many clients who’ve undertaken costly initiatives, often on a global scale, which evaluations later showed had made little difference. Author and NYU Professor of Journalism Pamela Newkirk has extensively documented the ineffectiveness of much unconscious bias training in her groundbreaking book, Diversity Inc.
When I ask clients why they believe such efforts have failed to move the needle (a common observation), they usually cite small-bore specifics:??
By contrast, my experience, as well as Newkirk’s research, suggests the issue is more fundamental.
For starters, let’s look at the term unconscious bias. What do the words tell us?
? They tell us that we are dealing with our unconscious, those random thoughts and impressions that float through our minds and exist outside our conscious control.
? They tell us that we are focusing on what is negative about ourselves: narrow, reactive, judgmental, limited, self-serving, embarrassing, potentially unkind. That is, our biases.
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By definition, then, unconscious bias training asks participants to deal with negative material that lies outside their conscious control. These trainings also-- again by definition-- focus on talk rather than action.
The guiding idea seems to be that having conversations will change us, uncomfortable conversations above all.?
But this is rarely true. As humans, we are more likely to change as the result of taking different actions that result in our having different experiences. These experiences then organically begin to shift our thoughts and perceptions.
In other words, changing our actions is more likely to change our thoughts than changing our thoughts is to change our actions.
Which is why we need programs that identify specific and tactical behavioral steps we can take that help us build relationships across boundaries.?
Next week I will provide a few.
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The Decision Doctor? - Advisor to Boards and CEOs on Consequential Decisions l Author, Meta-Leadership l Harvard Business Review and Forbes contributor | Board Leader | Managing Director, Golden Seeds l MG100
1 年Well said, Sally!
Visionary l Global Movement Founder l Teacher | Bridge Builder l Voice Development | Creative Expression l Public Writing l 'How' Does It Look Like & Feel Like l DEI | Dialogue l Be the Example | Avatars | Mental Health
1 年Excellent article and thank you for sharing, Sally Helgesen. I would agree that we need a strategic and tactical program to drive action should we wish to see behavioral change and the key to that is relationship-building. In my experience and per my experimentation, helping people to feel like they belong is the first step to earning the will and trust of people should we wish for them to sincerely try our advice. If we force the team to hang out together, even as a part of the process, that can backfire and worsen the situation. What leadership needs to do is be the example ourselves and by that, I mean that it is now the time for us to be more proactive and intentional with walking the talk - in a different way. We need a dual program for both leadership and non-leadership because workplace behavior is a matter of the entire team taking action together. We are training everyone and everyone will learn something together. Here is my ordinary idea and I look forward to your ideas :) https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/katiyaxiong_dc-open-for-business-partnership-activity-7023519935796576256-x8C4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Katiya
Coaching courageous leaders and career strivers
1 年Well said Sally awareness means nothing without actions. We can know we need to do something differently but knowing is not enough, it is in the doing (the application of the knowing) where true progress lives
Transforming Teams and Leaders into Powerhouses of Connection and Performance | Keynote Speaker | Leadership & Management Development Programs | Executive & Team Coach | Author of 3 Award-Winning Books
1 年OMG at last - let's moving from thinking about change, to actioning change. I love your insights and am looking forward to reading your new book - and practicing behaviors!
Advocate and Advisor for Tech for Good, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and LGBTQ+
1 年Sally I share your focus on the need for behavioral change to change the outcomes in workplace culture. Behavioral change comes with modeling so people see what is the preferred actions, practice and coaching to assure that the change becomes sustainable. All of which starts with a greater commitment by managers at all levels to declare how an organization will operate on a daily basis and to assure that employees get the communication and support to make these changes. No different than adopting a new sales methodology or new business process that usually requires employees to do things differently. These are intentional shifts in order to achieve different and better results.