Prejudice - A Panoramic Perspective

In Corporate parlance, discrimination is a major source of individual frustration which also causes consternation across the Organizational structure. Prejudice or discrimination arises out of preconceived opinions for or against a person or a school of thought which are not based on facts or reasons. In the Corporate landscape, this rears its ugly head in the recognition or reward spectrum. All human beings are certainly biased to some extent due to their own convictions, beliefs and past experiences. After all, human beings are made of flesh, blood and controlled by thought processes. They are not a digital scale which is calibrated to zero and their judgments could be tilted in favour or against a specific parameter. But these judgmental variations should be within a tolerance bandwidth so that it does not cause widespread damage to morale. For those in positions of evaluation, judgment or choice, neutrality becomes the significant virtue as against bias towards one's own preferences.?

Why are people in power being accused of being prejudiced ? It results from the impression that the affinity or preference is arising out of irrational judgment and not based on scientific evaluation. Since these biases affect career prospects and rewards, exasperation is the obvious outcome which makes the atmosphere stagnant with resentment overshadowing motivated working. Prejudices can occur at all levels and they also generate reciprocal emotions. Just like a Boss who is biased against an employee, the latter also could be prejudiced against the Boss and may find working under him a torturous experience. There are various types of prejudices, especially related to Corporate sector functioning. I have listed out a few of these types from my own observations and experience.?

1) Performance Prejudice?:

Some Bosses have their own barometers for performance levels irrespective of the constraints involved, support given, external factors and time limitations etc. Based on the pressure for the project from the top and their own moody approach, they brand people on an irrational basis. A few such incidents against the employee, the scar on him becomes indelible. In many instances, this results in breakdown in communication and the bias becomes the permanent stigma.?

2) Functional Bias :?

Many Companies suffer from poor inter-functional cooperation, fragmented working and decaying teamwork.There could be many reasons for such degeneration ranging from lack of rapport to unhealthy competition and internecine warfare for career progression.This leads to poor synergy and lack of synchronized working which spreads down the hierarchical layers. This destructive atmosphere leads to huge failures and resultant blame games. Employees attached to these functions become inimical to each other and develop total prejudice against the people as well as the functions.?

3) Generational Prejudice :

Prejudice can also be age-related and comfort-based also. In any Organization with a mixture of several age groups with varying levels of experience, the working equations could be distorted. Lack of commonality, flexible approach and objective-oriented functioning could lead to increased stresses and disjointed working. In any cross functional teams, the choice of the team members is a significant issue which needs adequate attention. Not all the employees would be purely job-focused and a mixed group of different age segments may not gel with each other. People with superiority complex due to seniority may create an imbalance in teamwork and the prejudice level takes more time to come to the surface.?

4) Compatibility Bias :

For some inexplicable reasons, many team leads are not comfortable with some team members.There is an innate prejudice developed over time and grown to gigantic proportions. The Bosses struggle to explain their aversion with suitable words but the huge gulf between them remains eternally.The lack of compatibility and efforts to bridge the gaps makes the situation detrimental to the Organization as a whole.The animosity grows by leaps and bounds resulting in negativity across the spectrum. Many Managements do not delve into the origin of this bias and prefer to reorient teams with better compatibility quotients.?

5) Parochial Bias :

This is a historical epidemic based on different backgrounds instead of present performance, attitudes and potential. The less said about this Prejudice the better since it is self-explanatory. Its prevalence has considerably reduced now and the remnant traces also should be eradicated to build credibility and teamwork in the Organization.?

Having analyzed the nature and types of Prejudices, how do we weed out its menacing effect in the Organization ? The Companies should evolve compatible systems to promote neutrality as the essence of Management practices. Let us ponder on these methods to minimize and eliminate this Prejudice factor.?

1) Set quantifiable targets so that measurement is devoid of bias. The numbers will speak for themselves so that Prejudice has no place in the evaluation system.?

2) Performance reviews should be more frequent and not an annual extravaganza throwing out surprises at the end of the year. More reviews increase interactions, rapport and leads to less disputes. Opportunities for course correction, directional shifts and scope for improvement are higher with regular assessments. This also removes opacity and increases transparency.?

3) With the present complex working model, it is high time to switch over to a 360 degree appraisal system. Giving credence to the opinions of all the stakeholders and feedback modules promote salubrious relationships and emphasizes the need for teamwork, customer care and holistic performance standards. Partisan appraisal of the immediate supervisor will carry minimal impact at least on the negative aspects of performance.?

4) The structural flexibility and resilience of the Organization is dependent on role clarity, defined career paths and succession planning. This is intended to stimulate performance through abundant clarity so that identification with the goals becomes paramount. Team Synergy and improved relationships are possible with less bias and better understanding. People with a known career trajectory contribute much better with higher commitment and evaluation becomes more focused.?

5) Companies should promote group tasks and activities with a focus on multidimensional development and results. In this process, performance assessment also becomes lateral instead of vertical mode which leaves no scope for biased evaluation.?

6) Incentivized and layered reward structure covering monetary and non-monetary segments is crucial for retaining and developing competent talent resources. The Reward system should be holistic to build commitment and motivation in the system. The attractiveness of rewards should eradicate minor conflicts, imbalances and biases so that achievement becomes the primary focus area and challenge.?

For all these comprehensive measures, the primary trigger should be from the top leadership by ushering in an inclusive work culture. Prejudice in an Organization is a silent killer and there is an imperative need for joint actions supported by a broader perspective and a long term vision.?

Rajarao Kumar?

Bengaluru?