Diversity at Work: Removing Bias
HR can treat the challenge of reducing biases against minorities in organizational behavior as a change issue, applying the approach and tools of change management to improve the employee experience in this regard.
Defining the vision and objectives
Change management begins with a vision and objectives, derived from the company’s normative and strategic management, stakeholder expectations and current conditions. The DEI vision and objectives can be linked to normative and strategic management as shown in my earlier article. Stakeholders generally have expectations regarding targets for outcomes metrics such as the share of minorities in management positions. As part of change management HR and the company can consider “educating” stakeholders to also acknowledge three other kinds of DEI objectives: first, drivers metrics such as share of minorities in new recruits, training programs, and employee turnover; second, results metrics such as findings in employee surveys; and third, progress metrics on specific DEI programs and initiatives. In addition, customers and business partners can have expectations about the profiles of the personnel serving them, while investors can be more concerned about senior management profiles.
Clarifying the DEI conditions at the workplace
An accurate picture of the conditions regarding bias in behaviors at the workplace can be gained from typical HR fact-finding instruments: surveys, interviews, focus groups, or workshops. Topics to be evaluated are the common forms of bias: microaggressions, avoidance, othering, favoring status over skills, and inequity in recruiting, compensation, training opportunities, and promotion. Employees can be queried for their perceptions of bias both in relation to themselves and in their team. Up to 12 demographic profiles can be used in breaking down the personnel into diverse groups to evaluate their answers.
However, DEI barriers faced by employees are often rooted in the processes generating competitive advantages and can arise unintentionally, as shown in my article. Systematic racism or sexism of this kind can therefore be hidden below the conscious perceptions of employees. As apparent as the biased outcomes are, e.g. the share of minorities in management positions, HR may need to apply one or more of the following four special measures to reveal the factors influencing such outcomes. In this way the current DEI conditions are evaluated in-depth to establish the baseline from which objectives for the future are defined.
First, a heightened sensitivity to identifying microaggressions can be gained in workshops devoted to listening and sharing of experiences regarding the norms, often implicit, in everyday communication. Second, the avoidance of minorities in the allocation of both the most promising assignments as well as tasks which best develop skills, often unnoticed, can be discerned in interviews with team and project leaders. Third, in othering, allied employees form into “insiders” engaging in intensive collaboration as part of key organizational developments, excluding the “outsiders” who often are minorities. These groupings can be charted from a survey of team or project members regarding collaboration. Finally, issues in status and inequity can made transparent by a task force which assembles and presents the appropriate data.
Designing the change program
HR designs the change program by taking account of organizational factors which support or hinder the change, such as the level of readiness for change, the range of the organizational units, and the spectrum of the involved personnel for which DEI improvements are high priority, and the positioning of key opinion leaders and managers with regard to the perceived need for change. The program design establishes the mix of top-down and bottom-up inputs to find the right balance between a directive and participative style. It also defines the mix of the different levers of change: structures, systems, communication, training, and corporate culture.
Implementation in four phases
HR implements the change program in four phases of communication activities and management practices, adjusted to the mentality and circumstances of the personnel as they move through the change process.
First, HR and leadership inform about the need to leave behind the past in order to avoid the dangers of not taking action and to grasp the available opportunities. The opportunities from DEI will benefit the entire organization by improving business performance and raising career development chances for all employees, without favoring or penalizing particular individuals or groups. Management cushions whatever shock there may be and absorbs any initial resistance, which may come from employees who fear that a diversity program could limit their own career chances.
Second, HR mobilizes the personnel to acknowledge the need for change by fleshing out the dissatisfaction with the current situation and painting a picture of the attractiveness and practicability of the future with DEI. The benefits from meeting shareholder expectations are highlighted. All personnel are motivated with the prospects for their own improved performance and the heightened support for their own career development paths. Management has an open ear to listen, is willing to act as a coach and can facilitate dialog and debate within the team regarding e.g. whether the DEI initiatives are a waste of time.
Third, HR implements the new steps to get ready for the change with communication activities to instruct as well as to publicize quick wins, such as take-up for new systems. Management supports the implementation steps by e.g. providing inputs to the planning of initiatives while activating employee participation in and giving feedback to the initiatives.
Fourth, HR integrates the change into renewed daily practices and celebrates progress. Learnings from the way in which factors influencing organizational behavior were made explicit and then acted upon can be applied to future initiatives aimed at organizational renewal. Management monitors the new behaviors and allocates material and immaterial rewards accordingly, e.g. naming the Diversity Employee of the Month.
Conclusion
HR has the neutral position in the organization and the expertise in people management to be most suitable as the change agent for DEI at the workplace. Given the deep and often unconscious roots of DEI issues in society and organizations, HR needs to adopt a long-term perspective in leading this change.
Authored by Benjamin Wall
Enjoyed the article by Benjamin? Check out this related post by him here.