Becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable

In a previous life, my work was to promote New Zealand trade, investment and education in Asia. One of our marketing campaigns invited the world to New Zealand, welcoming people to our country of ‘‘Open Spaces, Open Hearts, Open Minds’’. This is how we wanted the world to see us, and indeed how many people do.

Iwas reminded of this campaign as I reflected on the long-awaited report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques. It confirmed the prejudice that exists in our society and in our public agencies; and that, while we may project an image of open hearts and open minds to the world, our own people of many cultures and beliefs haven’t always felt it here at home.

There are significant findings and recommendations in the report. Our government moved swiftly to change gun laws soon after the attacks, and it has undertaken tomove swiftly on a number of recommendations the report makes.

But laws don’t change hearts and minds. And new agencies and more robust systems and processes can be useful, but they rely on people to lead, enforce and deliver – people who all have their own biases.

Those biases influence how people from different communities are viewed and treated – in education, health, social services, and criminal justice systems. They influence hiring and promotion decisions; lead to pay gaps, which lead to people leaving organisations, regardless of their good results and even greater potential, because they don’t feel they belong.

In the past few weeks, we have been reminded again and again of these biases: Stuff’s apology to Ma¯ori for historical bias in its reporting, the Human Rights Commission’s report into discrimination faced by Pacific people in the workforce, and the royal commission report on Christchurch, to name a few.

As our society has become more diverse, we hear more about unconscious bias – prejudice or stereotypes in favour of, or against, a person or group as compared to another. Unconscious bias stems from our tendency to organise by characterising, or in other words putting people or groups into boxes to help us process information. It is often incompatible with our conscious values.

We all hold biases, and have been at the receiving end too. They can be based on many factors, including gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, age, physical ability, education, socio-economic background, and even looks.

One that really annoys me is the surprise with which people react when you do a good job as a (relatively) young person, or a person of colour. Or when you get questioned about your presence at an event or meeting with the assumption that you couldn’t be there in your own right and must have come as someone’s guest or as an observer, even when you are the host.

Conversely, the halo effect is a form of bias – we place someone on a pedestal based on something impressive we associate them with: an Ivy League education, or a job at a particular company.

Unconscious bias stems from our own background and past experiences. Laws and agencies can’t change the biases we hold; education can. Education at home, in terms of the values we teach our children, what they observe us doing and saying; and education in the formal system as well as through community groups.

There are several online assessments available to test for unconscious bias. There is also formal training available to learn strategies to address biases. At the most basic level, though, there are things we can all do. Things like being more selfaware and reflective – questioning our own beliefs and whether or not they are backed by facts and are justified.

It’s easy to over-generalise and stereotype, and it’s important that we avoid doing so. We can act as checks for our friends, familymembers and colleagues, respectfully pointing out biases when we see them in action, and asking them to do the same for us.

We need to learn to become comfortable with the uncomfortable. We can learn about people who are different from us by sharing our story and listening to theirs.

Many organisations recruit and promote for ‘‘fit’’, essentially creating a homogenous workplace. Diversity isn’t always comfortable, but creativity and innovation thrive when there is healthy tension, when different perspectives are allowed to flourish.

To truly thrive and be the country of open hearts and open minds, we need to open our hearts and minds to our fellow Kiwis, so there is never another March 15, and so all our people can live to their full potential, unencumbered by biases.

Diversity isn’t always comfortable, but creativity and innovation thrive when there is healthy tension ...