The construction and insurance industries have something in common. Both
industries are experiencing an absence of workers at all levels in their
organizations. The war on talent and the ability to attract and retain
employees will continue to have a negative impact on both industries, driving
up costs for services and production.
As the baby boomers and the construction maestros retire, both construction
and insurance industries must identify what is stagnating their ability to
ultimately retain and promote top talent.
In today's world, talent diversity and leadership initiatives must be
front and center of every executive's mind. Human Resources (HR)
departments are tasked to champion critical initiatives to attract and
ultimately promote a diverse talent pool, but the profile at the C-suite for
construction and insurance remains unchanged. Only 7.5 percent of construction
organizations have women in construction management roles, and only 3
construction organizations have a female CEO.1 Similarly, a Mckinsey study found that, while women
outnumber men at entry-level positions in the insurance industry, their
representation of the workforce is significantly smaller near the top of the
organizational chart. Women represent 56 percent of entry-level positions but
only 30 percent of the vice presidents and 18 percent of the C-suite.2
The big question is, what is holding women back? Is it the notion of
scarcity—the zero-sum game that if a woman takes a seat at the table, it is one
less seat for a man? Or is it something below the surface like unconscious
bias?
Unconscious bias is defined as discrimination and incorrect judgments that
occur due to stereotyping. These can occur automatically and without the person
being aware of it. These types of biases are often so ingrained in culture and
society that they often go unnoticed by many people.
A Harvard Business study3 set out to reveal
how different words used in performance reviews impact decisions in the
workplace. The researchers focused on the military—the most traditional,
longstanding, male-dominated work environments. Over the last several
decades, the military has also worked diligently to eliminate formal gender
segregation and discrimination. The military's performance evaluation tools
are predicated on meritocratic ideals of fairness and justice, intentionally
designed to provide equal opportunity regardless of a person's
demographics. The analysis spanned over 4,000 participants and 81,000
evaluations that included a list of 89 positive and negative leadership
attributes used to assess leader performance in a military setting.
The results showed no gender difference in objective measures such as
grades, fitness scores, or class standing. There was also no difference in the
number of positive attributes assigned. However, the positive words used to
describe men and women were very different. Positive words to describe men
included analytical, competent, athletic, and dependable. Positive words for
women included compassionate, enthusiastic, energetic, and organized.
Women were assigned significantly more negative attributes. The most
commonly used negative attribute to describe men was arrogant, followed by
irresponsible. Women were described as inept, frivolous, gossip, excitable,
scattered, temperamental, panicky, and indecisive. The research showed that the
attributes we use to describe male and female leaders are more than just words,
and they can have real-life implications.
So, what is the big deal about the difference in word choice? If two equal
candidates were being evaluated for a leadership role—one is described as
compassionate, while the other is described as analytical, who will get the
promotion? Unless the field is nursing or education, the analytical person wins
hands down. Conversely, consider a manager determining dismissal of two equal
candidates. One is described as arrogant, while the other is called inept. The
perceived "inept candidate," the female, may become the first one to
be let go.
Subtle Bias versus Blatant Bias
Social science data shows that people are much more likely to encounter
subtle forms of bias than overt ones. Today, HR professionals may
hear fewer complaints of blatant overtures such as catcalls from female
subordinates. Instead, managers may choose to subtly ignore a woman's
input. These behaviors may be unintentional and can reflect unconscious beliefs
about the characteristics of women. Some might argue that the general evolution
of discrimination from obvious to subtle may be evidence of social progress.
Unfortunately, research shows that the new kind of bias can be even worse than
the older kind.
The Challenge of Obscurity and Bias
The challenge with bias is that, according to scientific study, by
definition it happens automatically, is outside of control, and is triggered by
our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations,
influenced by our background, cultural environment, and personal
experiences. Proponents of training to fix this problem may be missing the
mark; some experts argue that training people to understand their own biases is
a waste of time.
Training assumes that once someone is aware of their own bias, that
awareness will help a person correct their thinking, and they will change
behavior and censor their own thoughts. This assumes that by merely exposing a
bias, it will ultimately and magically evaporate. Furthermore, it wrongly
assumes that when someone is aware of bias, they will actually want to change
it. Exposure may help a person gain insight, but insight does not mean someone
wants to change their behavior. Unfortunately, people may choose to hover under
the umbrella of unconscious bias as a way of legitimizing their
prejudices.
Research has also provided evidence that, in some cases, unconscious bias
training has increased defensiveness, reinforced stereotypes, and contributed
to stonewalling, which ultimately are all expressed through anger, frustration,
and resentment. Underlying these emotions is fear. Fear of losing power, losing
status, losing rewards, undermining credibility, our own ignorance, and how
people with different opinions will change the ways things are done in the
workplace.
Further, research shows that dominant groups in an organization in relation
to gender, race, and nationality, as well as dominant ways of working, are all
motivated to maintain the status quo. Dominance amounts to power. Why would you
want to give your power away or even share some of it?
Fear and power are at the heart of keeping things the same. To address fear
and power, we need to plow into the root of emotions. Once we know where the
emotions stem from, then we can begin to plant the seeds for new behaviors.
Other organizational concepts such
as "fit" and "values" (also corresponding to "we like
people who are like us") are equally contentious and make up a part of the
equation that is organizational culture.
Intervention Strategies
According to the University of California, San Francisco Office of Diversity
and Outreach, to identify and ultimately change unconscious bias, it must be
addressed personally by individuals and professionally by the leaders of
organizations.4 Personally, unconscious bias can
hold you back from becoming your authentic self by stifling growth and hanging
on to falsehoods and limiting beliefs.
Professionally, unconscious bias stifles creativity, creating an echo
chamber in organizations where change will never occur. The reality is that the
world is changing, and dynamic businesses must embrace the change to be
successful for the long-term years to come.
Personal Strategies
Unconscious biases are difficult to change—but not impossible. Research
suggests that there are actions we can take and techniques we can utilize to
minimize the impact of unconscious bias on our thoughts and behaviors. Some
examples of strategies one can use to address unconscious bias at the
individual level include the following.
Education. By reading this article and learning about
unconscious bias, you have taken the first step to address some of your biases.
Consider taking the next step and participating in an unconscious bias training
program to learn more about the origins and consequences of biases and
strategies to address bias.
Self-Awareness. In addition to education, enhanced
self-awareness is a powerful tool to address unconscious bias. Recognizing
biases toward a particular group is yet another step you can take to
minimize the impact of bias on your actions and behaviors.
Project Implicit is a nonprofit organization and international collaboration
among researchers interested in implicit social cognition—thoughts and feelings
outside of conscious awareness and control. The goal of the organization is to
educate the public about hidden biases. The online Implicit Association Test is a valuable
tool that individuals can use to learn more about one's biases.
Explore and engage. Intentionally seek out and engage in
discussions with colleagues from diverse groups or volunteer in a community
that's socially dissimilar to your own. This can lead to a greater
appreciation and perhaps minimize the impact of unconscious bias on
others.
Organizations must also commit to taking steps to mitigate the impact of
unconscious bias.
Hiring and promotion practices. Develop ground rules to
ensure equity in the hiring and promotion process. For example, search
committees should develop and utilize concrete objective indicators
and outcomes to reduce standard stereotypes. This includes structured
interviews and objective evaluation criteria.
Search committees should allocate sufficient time to review and discuss
candidates in a structured manner as unconscious bias may be more pervasive
when under time pressure and making quick decisions.
Awareness. Organizations should open the conversation of
unconscious bias to create awareness and strive to identify issues that
permeate their industry.
Leadership. Organizations should provide leaders with
support and guidance to address unconscious bias but also require that efforts
and outcomes be documented through an annual summary. Organizational leaders
must ask themselves two powerful yet simple questions.
-
If my executive team looks, thinks, and acts just like me, why do I need
them at this table?
-
Does the executive team think, act, and represent the mindset of the
majority of our employees and customers?
The answer to these questions may be the catalyst to sow the seeds of future
change.
- Lior Zitzman, "Women in Construction: The State of the Industry in
2019," BigRentz, February 14, 2019.
- Craig Guillot, "New Study Shows Just How Significantly
Underrepresented Women Are in Insurance Leadership Roles,"
Risk and Insurance, September 28, 2018.
- Margaret C. Nikolov, Judith E. Rosenstein, and David G. Smith,
"The Different Words We Use To Describe
Male and Female Leaders," Harvard Business Review, May
25, 2018.
- "Strategies To Address Unconscious
Bias," University of California, San Francisco Office of Diversity
and Outreach, website accessed on November 19, 2019.