18 June 2024 | Professor Binna Kandola, OBE

The inclusion delusion: Why we are all part of the problem

Professor Binna Kandola, Founder and Senior Partner of business psychology consultancy Pearn Kandola, explains how we can all fall victim to bias and why we are all responsible for making change happen.
Description

As part of the preparatory work for an inclusive leadership session for 200 senior executives at a major global bank, participants were asked the following question: ‘When you compare yourself to your peers in your organisation, in terms of how inclusive you are, do you think you are:

  • Below average?
  • Average?
  • Above average?

What percentage of these leaders do you think considered themselves to be above average? 50%? 75? 90?

In fact, the answer was 100%!

The leaders themselves, on seeing the results, started to laugh. They recognised the ridiculousness of that answer. Their responses reveal one of the key obstacles to achieving genuine inclusion in organisations – that of self-serving or egocentric bias: put simply, our tendency to believe that we are better at things than we actually are. In the United Kingdom, for example, 80% of drivers believe that they are above average. On the road, therefore, the car behind us is driving too fast and the car in front is driving too slowly – it’s only us who are driving at the right speed.

Why does it happen? The psychology of bias

Being fair and objective is a key part of most peoples’ self-image. Being seen as unbiased is such an important part of our identity that when we are challenged on this, our natural reaction is to deny that this could even be the case, to defend ourselves and to denounce those who are making the accusation.

The truth of the matter is that we are all biased – including me. It is all too easy to dismiss complaints about bias and to continue deluding ourselves that we are somehow fairer than everybody else and that any unfairness, bias and prejudice is the fault of other people.

Our image of what prejudiced individuals look like contributes to this problem. Misogynists, for example, are like the notorious Andrew Tate, whose views about women are very well known. Similarly, we know what racists look like and we know the type of behaviour that they engage in. Because none of us look like that or would engage in actions of that kind, we can therefore maintain our self-image of being genuinely inclusive.

Our lack of understanding about what constitutes unfairness and prejudice is what contributes to identifying other people as the problem, rather than turning the mirror on ourselves.

Description

Unconscious bias impacts all of us, and contrary to what some commentators would have us believe, it is not a newly discovered phenomenon but rather one that has been discussed by philosophers for thousands of years.

Buddha, for example, spoke about the elephant and the rider. The rider believes that they are in control, but the elephant, a symbol of our subconscious, could actually go off in a different direction without the rider being able to do anything about it. It is challenging to think that we are part of the problem – but nothing can be resolved unless we are prepared to accept this inconvenient truth.

Overcoming delusion to achieve true inclusion

Organisations find it far easier to tackle all this as just another management issue. The result is actions that focus on policies, procedures and processes, while the human element is minimised, if it’s considered at all. Yet this is the most fundamental aspect that needs to be examined if we are to achieve true inclusion in our organisations.

We all need to be open to the fact that we are biased, despite our best efforts, and that our biases impact our behaviour and decisions. Self-reflection, humility and the desire to learn are all essential abilities and qualities that are needed to bring about change. This means being able to have open and authentic discussions in our organisations that enable us all to gain insight into our own attitudes and beliefs about others.

It also means that we should create environments where people can be forgiven for genuine mistakes that they have made. Unfortunately, with the impact of social media, too often, we expect people who have used the wrong term or an outmoded expression to be punished. Apologies, however genuine, no longer seem to be enough. In a climate like this, having honest and respectful conversations becomes much more difficult because people won’t feel safe enough to share their thoughts and feelings.

Creating environments where people feel that they have to suppress their thoughts and opinions doesn’t reduce bias. In fact, it may even increase it. For progress to be made, we need people to be able to discuss topics related to diversity and inclusion in constructive ways and without fear of judgement or censure. In order for this to happen, we need to be able to accept that tensions will inevitably arise when views are expressed that don’t align with our own, and endeavour to avoid getting angry or defensive.

The reward for doing this will be that more people will be prepared to accept shortcomings when it comes to interactions with people who are different to them – and more willing to accept responsibility for and address their own.

You can learn more about the psychology of inclusion here.

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