How Bias Affects Team Productivity

UNDERSTAND ACCEPT LEVERAGE

October 2014 | Los Angeles, California

Sharon Donald Associate Director of Strategic Systems


• Objectives of this Presentation• Diversity, Inclusion & Bias• Test Cases, Team Activities • Making a Difference• Wrap Up and Questions

Outline

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Objectives

• What can you expect to get out of this presentation? – Insight: into how unrecognized bias can affect your team

– Curiosity: on what are people’s perceptions based?; what are your own biases?

– Determination: to be open to alternative perceptions

– Beginning toolkit: recognizing and overcoming bias in yourself and others

• What benefits can you expect by understanding how bias can affect the workplace?– Better team leadership skills– Ability to work effectively with diverse teams – Mutual respect of co-workers

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The Four Layers of Diversity*

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Layer 1:Organizational Dimensions

Layer 2:External Dimensions

Layer 3:Internal Dimensions

Layer 4:Cognitive Dimensions

Self

* Adapted from Marilyn Loden and Julie Rosener,“Workforce America!” (Business One Irwin, 1991)


SELF:Cognitive

Dimensions

The Four Layers of Diversity* - Self

Conflict-handling Mode• Competing• Collaborating• Compromising• Avoiding• Accommodating

MBTI Type• Extroversion/Introversion• Sensing/Intuition• Thinking/Feeling• Judging/Perceiving

Learning Styles• By doing?• By watching?• By listening?

Communication Style• Think before speaking?• Think while speaking?• Comfortable with interruptions?

* Adapted from Marilyn Loden and Julie Rosener,“Workforce America!” (Business One Irwin, 1991)


Diversity & InclusionWhy Do We Care?

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Why is Diversity important and what role does Inclusion play?

– A diverse workforce provides the best opportunity for innovation and the flexibility required to overcome complex challenges

– Inclusion is important because it helps us get the most out of our diverse resources


Why is Diversity Hard? Why is It Important to Understand Bias?

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While diversity of thought & experience provide valuable insights which we can leverage as a team,

Differences can also cause Anxiety, Misunderstanding and Lack of Trust

Recognizing our own and others’ biases can help us understand team dynamics, effectively address issues, and ultimately achieve our goals by building strong teams


What is Inclusionand Why is It Important?

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• Inclusion is the process by which we effectively integrate diverse resources into a whole that is more than the sum of its parts.

• We do this by recognizing and leveraging our differences rather than seeking to minimize or ignore them.


Diversity Past & Present

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Then

Hide identity to conform

ThenOK to look

different, but conform to

behavioral norms

Now

Subtle bias still exists, often

unacknowledged

Some DayEveryone is

accepted for who they are and what

they can contribute…


Where Are We Now?

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What’s going on?

Demographic %Population %Board Room

White Male 36% 66%

Women 50% 20%

Minorities 37% 16%

Data is composite from CBS News Report, Wiki-Answers


Examples of Subtle Bias

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• Second Generation Gender Discrimination1

– One common gender-biased dynamic is the way in which leadership tends to be judged in the workplace

– "Good" leaders are expected to be strong, confident, and assertive.

• Yet, when women act strong, confident, and assertive, they're often perceived and judged as uncaring, self-promoting, and aggressive

• And when they act in more collaborative ways, they're viewed as not possessing "good" leadership skills.

1The Invisible Barrier: Second Generation Gender Discrimination; http://www.simmons.edu/som/docs/insights_32_v6.pdf

http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/leadership

http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/assertiveness



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• Protective Hesitation1

– If a mentor or manager is more comfortable with one person than another, he/she is likely to give that person more critical feedback, thereby enhancing their chances of success, all quite unwittingly!

– This in turn can lead to the perception that ‘even when given the same opportunities, this group does not achieve at the same level’, reinforcing stereotypes and impeding forward progress, despite the best intentions all around!

1http://www.mentoringgroup.com/html/mentor_12.htm



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• Avoidance of the Appearance of ‘Favoritism’– If a manager is concerned that he/she may be perceived as

biased toward a minority employee, he/she may fail to give equal access to resources and opportunities to this employee, thereby actually putting them at a disadvantage

• May be in response to concerns from majority employees about ‘unfair advantage’ given to a minority

• May be very difficult to recognize by the manager, and a difficult subject to broach by the affected employee

• Similar to protective hesitation, this can lead to the perception that ‘even when given the same opportunities, this group does not achieve at the same level’, because the opportunity imbalance is not recognized


Why Can’t We Just Eliminate Bias?

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• Bias is based on our life experiences, and can be a protective mechanism

• We often do not even recognize our own bias

• It is easy to misinterpret others’ bias

• It is very difficult to understand all possible perspectives, and despite our best efforts, we still base our assumptions on perceived ‘truths’


So, What Can We Do?

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• Be open to question our own and others’ perspectives

• Be open to discussion about bias or perceived bias – Don’t get defensive, get to the bottom of

misunderstandings!– Facilitate discussion with others who may have difficulty

• Work with allies to effect change

• The following case studies will provide an opportunity to think about possible bias in different scenarios

but first ….


Let’s Look at Some Attributes

BehavioralAttribute

PositiveInterpretation

NegativeInterpretation

NeutralInterpretation

Loud Voice Assertive Pushy Hard of Hearing

Soft VoiceThoughtful, Introspective

Timid Sore Throat

Outgoing, Engaging

Motivational Unprofessional Friendly

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AttributeWestern Cultural

Interpretation

Loud VoiceSqueaky wheel gets the grease

The loudest duck gets shot

Self-AdvocationYou have to learn to toot your own horn!

The nail that sticks up gets hammered down

Outgoing, Engaging Friendly Too familiar

Eastern CulturalInterpretation

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Generational Attributes

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Traditional Boomer Gen X Millennial

Work Traits Like structure Results driven Learn quicklyEmbrace diversity

Communication Style

Formal, memo In person Direct, casualEmail, texting, motivational

Feedback No news is good news

Once/yr., lots of documentation

Sorry to interrupt but how am I doing?

Whenever I want at push of a button

Work/Life Balance

Do what you gotta do

Workaholics Need it Need it



Developer Project Manager

There are still unexplained phenomena, we aren’t done yet!

It meets performance, and I have customers waiting. Ship it!

Who needs documentation? It’s self-explanatory!

We need to support this for several years in the future; more documentation is better.

It’s somebody else’s job to worry about the schedule.

We review the schedule every week, why don’t my developers take it seriously?

There are an infinite number of ways we can sort ourselves, and just as many ways to misunderstand each other …

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Let’s Look at Some Test Cases

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Lucy & Rob: Being Heard

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Setting

• Brainstorming meeting for ideas on how to promote diversity & inclusion throughout the organization


Lucy & Rob: Being Heard

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Event

• Lucy suggests an approach; no one responds

• A few minutes later someone else makes the same suggestion

• Rob, a well respected leader exclaims: “That’s a great idea!”

• That idea is then taken forward with the second proponent as lead


Mary & Joe: Advocating for Self & Others

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Perceptions and Assertions

• Mary– Technically excellent, strong writing skills, gets along well with team

members, fairly quiet

• Perception of Mary– Excellent technical contributor but lacks leadership potential, the latter

largely because she is perceived as someone who wants to avoid conflict and ‘please’ everyone

• Joe – Outgoing, assertive, decisive and vocally willing to take on leadership

opportunities. Good, but not great technically

• Perception of Joe– Has great leadership potential, is seen as a rising star



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Setting

• Joe is the technical lead on a complex project. He is working with management to identify a new team lead for this project so that he can pursue a new opportunity.



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Situation

• Joe feels that Mary is the obvious choice to replace him, but, knowing management’s perception of her, is hesitant to ‘stick his neck out’ too far to advocate for her, in part because he assumes management may have better insight than he in these matters.

• Mary feels she is the obvious choice, but also feels it’s management’s job to recognize it, and that if they don’t, perhaps they recognize something lacking in her that she does not see.

• Management is very worried; they want to give Joe this new opportunity, but don’t want to risk the current project.


• Yolanda is a new hire at her company. She has many

years experience in her field and has led numerous

projects, managing both technical and programmatic

aspects.

• She is very out-spoken, decisive and assertive.

• She is a first-generation immigrant. English is a second

language for her, and she has a strong accent.

Yolanda: An Assertive Woman

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Situation


• Yolanda has been assigned to lead a large project staffed with long-term employees. The current project lead has been in place for many years, but he is retiring. It is a large, multi-disciplinary team with many long-term members.

• Some of her teammates are uncomfortable around her. They feel she is pushy and too aggressive.

• Some of her co-workers have trouble understanding her when she speaks due to her strong accent.

• Yolanda has a sense that she is not well accepted, but cannot understand why. She was very successful at her last company, and cannot understand what might be different here.

• Management has made the work assignment and feels their work is done. They are disappointed over Yolanda’s lack of acceptance and suggest to her that she find a way to ‘be a team player’.

Yolanda: An Assertive Woman

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Situation


Harold & Ryan: The Age Divide

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Setting & People

• The setting:– A meeting to discuss decline in sales revenue causes &

solutions

• The people: – Harold is in his late 50’s, and leader of the organization,

who has spent his career in sales – Ryan is in his 20’s, a new hire with a background in

communications and computer science, not sales – Other team members who have been working with Harold

for several years


Harold & Ryan: The Age Divide

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Situation

• Harold puts an agenda up on the overhead projector and methodically begins going around the room to query each team member about recent sales calls, existing customer feedback, and gathering observations from around the room

• Ryan seems distracted and keeps checking his phone, seemingly not paying attention to others in the room

• When called on for his turn, Ryan answers concisely, and responds to others’ inputs, but Harold is noticeably perturbed at Ryan’s behavior


Team Workshop & Personal Reflection

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• At each table you will find handouts regarding the test cases discussed

• Each table should work as a team on the case studies, then spend some time individually on personal reflection

• Select a spokesperson for each test case

• Each table will out-brief their team responses

• Remember, there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers! Our goal is to understand what goes into our own and others’ perceptions.


Let’s Look at Some Test Cases

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Lucy makes a suggestion, but no one responds. A few minutes later someone else makes the same suggestion, which is embraced by the leader. The idea is taken forward with this second proponent as lead.

Joe is a project lead who will be graduating and transitioning to a new job. He feels Mary will make a great replacement for him, but knowing leadership has concerns, is unsure of whether or how to advocate for her.

Yolanda has many years experience in her field, but being a first-generation immigrant, some of her co-workers at her new job have difficulty understanding her strong accent. As an out-spoken, decisive and assertive person, some new teammates feel she is too aggressive. Management is disappointed over Yolanda’s lack of acceptance and suggest that she find a way to ‘be a team player’.

Harold, organizational leader in his late 50s, and Ryan, new hire in his 20s, have different areas of expertise and seemingly conflicting approaches to successful business practices.


Making a Difference

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• Be willing to question your own assumptions, and share this with others

– Personal examples help others recognize similar situations of their own

– Start small and local within your team, cultivate like-minded advocates and branch out!

– You will continue to increase your own sensitivity, and your own ‘Diversity & Inclusion Toolbox’ for dealing with sensitive situations


Making a Difference

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• When you see misunderstanding or injustice speak up!

– Be careful not to make assumptions about others’ motivations or perceptions

– Help others recognize when they make this mistake


Summary

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• Recognize that Diversity is not just about Gender and Ethnicity

Question Assumptions

Embrace Diversity!

Don’t jump to conclusions!

• Recognizing bias helps us leverage diversity to build strong, flexible, creative teams

Be open to alternative perspectives


Feedback

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How Bias Affects Team Productivity

Leadership & Management

Transcript of How Bias Affects Team Productivity