Dr Jo Kandola, Partner and Head of Digital SolutionsVery often, exclusive behaviour isn’t caused intentionally, but as a by-product of our tendency to show preferences to people who seem to be ‘like us.’ The human brain associates higher levels of trust with those that are demographically similar to us. However, this single-minded approach to building relationships can cause some people to feel more excluded than others, simply because they are in the minority. So how does this play out when we’re at work?
The workplace is one of the most potent sites of exclusion and injustice, since it usually consists of a hierarchy that upholds traditional biases, and a mixture of ‘in-groups’ and ‘out-groups.’ The ‘in-group’ is made up of the majority demographic, who effectively define the culture by influencing the language and policies of the organisation as a whole. The ‘out-group’ tends to consist of under-represented employees, such as minority ethnic staff, women, or members of the LGBTQ+ community. This group often holds little power, and is expected to adapt—putting them at high risk of alienation. This creates a cycle of exclusionary behaviours that signals to some staff that they are not valued, resulting in low levels of psychological safety and wellbeing for minority ethnic employees.
Intriguingly, we’re more likely to share secrets with someone of our own race, and at work, minority ethnic staff have less access to confidential information. They are less likely to benefit from mentoring, due to a lack of connections with the in-group, and are also three times more likely than white people to have to apply for roles using formal procedures, rather than on a who-you-know basis.
What this means is that exclusive workplaces hinder the professional growth of marginalised employees, so businesses that choose not to prioritise inclusion are effectively lowering their overall performance potential. This paints a picture of an organisational structure that frequently privileges white employees over others. As a consequence, businesses must be ready to face decreasing levels of engagement and commitment from their minority ethnic employees, which often leads to high staff turnover.
And if that’s not enough incentive for organisations to hone in on inclusion, exclusive workspaces are proven to have even more detrimental effects than harassment. Consider the cost to your business of a high-profile race-related workplace incident, or the reputational damage that exclusionary behaviours can bring about. Is your organisation willing to take that risk? By not fostering inclusion, businesses put their own name on the line. They also limit their potential to recruit and retain diverse talent, thereby reducing innovation and diversity of ideas.
So is there a solution? According to Business Psychologist Dr. Jo Kandola, inclusive workplaces can only be built when organisations go beyond conducting passive diversity and inclusion programs, and focus on fostering inclusive behaviour in each individual leader and employee. Pearn Kandola takes a psychology-based approach to interpreting workplace behaviour, and then apply this knowledge to both their consulting services, and range of digital solutions.
Whilst hosting a one-off bias workshop or attending a webinar on gender inequality might sound like the right way to foster inclusion, without the data or insight to know where they are going wrong, leaders lack the knowledge to challenge the root-causes of exclusion. Dr. Kandola highlights that many organisations are interested in “paying lip service” when it comes to implementing diversity and inclusion. However, Pearn Kandola aims to combat this indifference by bringing about genuine culture change.
The firm’s work focuses on moving beyond surface level, sheep-dip approaches, and creating lasting behaviour change. So how do they do this? By equipping leaders and teams with the insight and awareness needed to take the right kind of action.
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Inclusive workplaces can only be built when organisations go beyond conducting passive diversity and inclusion programs, and focus on fostering inclusive behaviour in each individual leader and employee
Built upon 37 years of research, their transformative solution PK:INDYNAMICS LEADER offers leaders feedback in three key aspects of leadership: culture, relationships, and decision making. The output from PK:INDYNAMICS LEADER is unlike any other solution. Leaders learn what they need to do to be more inclusive, so that they can take immediate steps to create lasting change.
According to Dr. Kandola, one of things that businesses struggle with the most is understanding which actions to take once they have identified where they’re going wrong. She continues, “So, we’re helping people to build action plans, and giving them resources that help them then change their behaviours. We are creating personalised learning experiences, and at the same time, helping clients find a more cost-effective way to reach deeper into their organisations.”
Owing to the capabilities of these digital solutions, countless clients have broadened their mindsets and succeeded in creating workforces that foster inclusion. One leader, for example, spoke about how PK:INDYNAMCIS LEADER helped him realise that he had unwittingly built an exclusive network in his team and supported him to rectify this. Today, he is witnessing greater participation and engagement from every member of his team, not to mention the rise in the team’s productivity.
And their approach isn’t just top-down – Pearn Kandola takes a holistic view, considering the impact each and every employee has on workplace inclusion. PK:INDYNAMICS TEAMS, another of their digital solution, gives individuals insight into how they help or hinder the development of an inclusive culture. It focuses on recognising acts of exclusion, empathy, allyship, and creating workplaces where people feel they belong. Feedback from PK:INDYNAMICS TEAMS provides insight to recognise the behaviours that lead to exclusion, and the tools to initiate change.
And it’s not just individual that Pearn Kandola digital solutions help. The anonymous aggregated data provides businesses with a helicopter view to identify deep-rooted weaknesses within their organisations, and the insight to directly tackle these.
By applying focus individuals, leaders, and the organisation, Pearn Kandola’s digital solutions reach throughout the entire organisation, driving change and allowing businesses to make a deeper, more meaningful difference.
