JOAN C. WILLIAMS

A leading feminist scholar encourages leaders to make diversity and inclusion part of the new normal.

on making inclusion part of the next normal

While well-intentioned, research shows that anti-bias programs rarely deliver. What are organizations getting wrong when it comes to this kind of training?

So much! The kind of bias training that has been the industry standard for the past decade is not effective because it’s about the cognitive causes of bias. What people need to know is what bias looks like on the ground in everyday workplace interactions. That’s what my research has focused on for the past decade.

We can’t look at today’s organizations as meritocracies, because, typically, they really aren’t. The fact is, in most organizations, the group that dominates doesn’t have to prove itself as much, and this happens because of the subtle forms of bias that are constantly being transmitted by formal and informal systems. If we want to see results, we will need to take proactive steps to interrupt those systems consistently.

What are some of the most common biases that affect diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

In my research I have found that three are particularly common, and unfortunately, they often work in tandem. I call the first one Prove It Again, whereby some groups have to prove themselves more than others. I call the second one Tightrope, whereby a much broader range of behaviour is accepted from some groups than from others. If you’re not in one of those groups, you are on the ‘tightrope’ and you have to be much more politically savvy to get ahead. Then there’s Tug of War. Say your workplace is a boys’ club. Some women may see the path of least resistance as joining the boys club and aligning against other women. Or for people of colour, the tug of war can be that they’re seen as being too white or not white enough.