Strengthening our inclusive instincts at work

Strengthening our inclusive instincts

At work, subconscious communication is exchanged by people every day. Much of it driven by incorrect assumptions, unconscious bias and projection.

This is where micro-aggressions thrive.

Across all levels of an organisation, people experience the harmful effects of differing and often layered social factors and identities. Without being aware of our bias, our chances of progressing organisational and people outcomes are limited.

When we are mindful, connection, critical decision-making and innovation are possible.

Interrupting our defaults

To disrupt patterns of bias, it helps to categorise our awareness journey into four evolving stages. Within each stage is an assumed level of behaviour and awareness of our conditioned attitudes and beliefs that influence our day-to-day decisions and choices.

01 Unconscious Bias: I am not aware of how my attitudes and behaviours impact others 

02 Conscious Bias: I recognise how my attitudes and behaviours impact others

03 Conscious Inclusion: I recognise my attitudes and modify my behaviour towards others 

04 Inclusion: I instinctively empathise with and include others 

As people, our decision-making is much more effective when we have heightened awareness of the interference bias plays. Our first goal is to interrupt this cycle.

Bias and the workplace ecosystem

A workplace ecosystem is impacted by our decisions and interactions.

Furthermore, people’s interactions within any organisational ecosystem are responsible for energy flows. They have the potential to disrupt sustainability, and are of great importance to the performance of the overarching ecosystem.

As such, Bias awareness and interruption should be applied across the entire organisation to build and maintain a strong culture and drive business results.

Navigating the journey to inclusion

As we step through each phase of the bias interruption cycle, the focus becomes a desire to modify behaviour.

This becomes the second goal. And it’s important to reward and emphasise the benefits of positive behaviour for reinforcement.

As with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, on the infinite journey towards inclusion, we are faced with daily circumstances that shift us contextually between needs levels and bias quadrants, impacting our decisions and choices in the way we communicate.

The third goal is to speed up the frequency of catching ourselves, and exercise the commitment and willpower to make the necessary adjustments to our actions.

As confronting as it may be, following through on a commitment to inclusion requires an appreciation that empathy is a prerequisite; and this starts with taking a fresh perspective.

Next time you make a decision, take a moment to notice your unconscious bias, your default attitudes and beliefs that influenced your actions.

Recap 

Strengthening our inclusive instincts:

• Without being aware of our bias, our chances of progressing as a high-performing team are limited

• Within the bias interruption cycle, the first goal is to recognise how our attitudes and behaviours impact others

• The second goal is to modify behaviour (aka make a smarter choice)

• The third goal is to exercise the commitment and willpower to change act differently.