Nobody is bias-free - if you have a brain - you have bias.

It’s normal for our brains to shy away from difference, however, at a time when many companies and teams could benefit from some new ideas to old problems (or even to some of our most challenging new ones) - we are missing out on a tremendous opportunity when we hear only those voices and viewpoints most like our own.

The research is not ambiguous about the impact of diversity on decision making - no one of us can be as effective as all of us!

Leaders and teams which Practice Inclusion and Embrace Diversity will out-perform in their industry.

Please note: we’ve also written blogs on how to create Cultural Safety in the workplace focussed on organisational systems and policies, Interpersonal Cultural Appreciation, the impact of Cultural Identity on Wellbeing, and Belonging and the importance of Language. The common core of wellbeing for all minority groups is a helpful guide to creating psychologically safe and psychosocially safe workplaces.

The most powerful example I’ve witnessed of this skill in practice, was by a new CEO of a high profile multinational, in a Hotel Lounge in India.

What struck me, was the simplicity of the process and how the team of about 20 advisers naturally fell into the routine.

• It was clearly a familiar process, and I watched (Gin and Tonic in hand), as a new member of the team inadvertently stepped out of line and was gently redirected to the question, “what worked well”.

• Only when everyone had expressed their own unique perspective on that 1 question, did the process go in reverse around the circle to capture the “lessons learned”.

By Practicing Inclusion - the CEO effectively collected the unique perspectives of everyone equally and Leveraged Diversity of Thought.

The Impact of this Process?

When it comes to decision making, McKinsey found process is 6x more important than data. It stands to reason, an unbiased decision-making process will ferret out poor analysis, but the reverse does not apply!

In my experience, however, very few leaders are comfortable hearing diverse opinions.

How can Leaders overcome their Concerns?

Much about leadership takes courage, and if there were ever a leadership activity which warrants some measured risk, it’s one which takes 70% of your time and has the potential for 6x the impact!

The CEO referenced in the story above, used a simple, collegiate and collaborative process, to equally access everyone’s perspectives and increase the knowledge and know-how to create the best possible outcome.

• By creating a structured process which leveraged “diversity of thought”, the CEO created the best of both worlds; form and function. Any leader or team wanting to practice inclusion and leverage diversity, can create similar team processes, to ensure intelligence is maximised.

Are there any Limitations?

In today’s competitive world, speed is a competitive advantage.

The ultra-inclusive intelligence gathering model described above, is unlikely to be used for every decision in the CEO’s day. Not all decisions are created equal and it’s important to be able to select a ‘a best fit approach’, based on the decision making stage and the stakes involved.

How do you Turn Intelligence into Impact -

and reduce the role of bias?

A lot has been researched and written on this point. For those new to this, creating another process or methodology, will ensure fear is minimised and impact is maximised.

Here’s three practical steps:

1.      It all Starts with your Mindset

Are you ‘an Expert’ or ‘an Explorer’?

• Those managers and leaders who consider themselves to be explorers, are more likely to seek out ideas and perspectives that are dissimilar to their own.

• For those of us historically valued as experts, uncovering AND valuing difference requires a conscious decision and commitment.

2.    Ask Curious Questions

As Experts, we’re used to giving answers.

Explorers, however, are naturally curious questioners!

• Good questions focus on uncovering our blind spots and what we don’t know:

  • Ask yourself: What is it I’m not hearing? What’s the feedback someone’s too afraid to give?

  • Ask your team: What’s the alternative opinion that hasn’t been put forward? What’s the unvoiced perspective here?

In the Hybrid Workplace, leaders need to be explicit about what they want to see and hear.

If you don’t ask for it (and reward it) - you’re unlikely to receive it - particularly in the hybrid workplace.

3. Create a Safe Environment

Explorers experiment, discuss and debate!

Asking curious questions means nothing if you haven’t fostered an environment where people feel safe to offer their own unique answers.

• Psychological Safety is key to a deliberate, constructive and productive discussion and debate.

Leaders who are tempted to “shoot the messenger”, instead “shoot themselves in the foot” and often end up “shooting shadows”, wondering what it is they don’t know or aren’t hearing.

• Leaders can actively invite dissent and debate and use techniques such as Devil’s Advocate, Pre-mortems or Plans A & B, amongst many other possibilities, to elicit higher quality analysis and better outcomes.

An environment where it’s safe to explore, ask and debate is more likely to generate new ideas and identify hidden problems.

What Do we need to Watch out for?

Collaboration doesn’t necessarily mean Consensus

When it comes to making the final decision, it’s important to identify the most appropriate handful of key decision makers and articulate how the decision making process itself will work.

Debates are an effective way to reach a rigorous and speedy decision. By giving each member of the decision making team one an active role in the process, they will not only increase the knowledge and intelligence amongst the decision makers, they will also buy-in to the decision itself.

What is the Benefit of Process to Leverage Diversity?

There’s no need to fight our unconscious filters or biases which naturally give greater weight to favourable information and lesser to unfavourable - the process simply takes care of it for us.

Today’s most effective leaders will recognise their own biases and double-down on their attempts to overcome them.

Creating robust processes, however, enables all voices to be heard equally - not just the loudest voices. They also reduce bias, increase inclusion and leverage diversity to enable better impact and outcomes.

At I LEAD Consulting we enable diverse teams, Inclusive Leaders and Collective Cultures to achieve the highest degree of performance and impact.

PRACTICE  INCLUSION | EMBRACE  DIVERSITY | ACTIVATE ALLIES

Elements of this article were initially published by Institute of Managers and Leaders