We often know which people and groups ‘affect us’. This is known as conscious preference. But what about the mindset and behavior of which we are not aware?
The topic of cultural diversity is certainly not new. Much has already been said and discussed about the role of diversity in the business world, including the connection between diversity and performance. In our blog *The ‘Diversity – Performance’ Equation – Debunking the Myths*, we discussed a number of misconceptions surrounding diversity and explored the impact of diversity on cultural intelligence (CQ).
The importance of CQ consistently emerges from a large number of international studies, as does the predictive value of CQ on performance. This applies to the work environment anywhere in the world. In a pilot project in the United Arab Emirates, we are investigating what CQ means for managers and what we can learn about CQ from local experiences. As expected, the participating senior managers are very good at identifying the cultural aspects in the work environment that are most challenging for them and can clearly explain the nature of these challenges.
Not only these customers, but most of us know which people and groups ‘affect us’. This causes a distraction that is visible, recognizable, and specific to diversity. We call this ‘conscious biases’: preferences we know we hold towards another culture or another group of people. But what about the mindset and behavior of which we are unaware? For example, when we apparently pay just a little less attention to what someone has to say, act a bit less enthusiastically towards someone, or involve them less often? The expression of these unconscious biases is common in the daily work environment. When managers maintain this, this behavior becomes part of daily interaction. It can affect performance, cause employees to turn away, undermine good decision-making, and have a major negative impact on both managers and employees.
The focus of this blog is neuroscientific research into preference and how the existence of the ‘us’ group and ‘them’ group hinders our attempt to achieve productivity and make everyone part of that multicultural work environment.
The neuroscience side
Most people think that we make decisions with the rational part of our brain. And yet, neuroscience and social psychology paint a very different picture. Cognitive and brain research shows that we initially make the majority of our decisions in a fraction of a second using the more primitive part of our brain. If we are functioning properly, we then proceed to our prefrontal cortex to rationally validate that initial decision before taking action. Research shows, for example, that during a first encounter, it takes only 50 milliseconds to determine whether we are dealing with a man or a woman, and only twice as long to determine ethnic origin. David Amodio, professor of psychology and brain science at New York University and one of the world’s experts in the field of social cognition, has shown us using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) that the amygdala (the primitive part of the brain) is primarily activated when people with racist prejudices think about people with a different background. Primitive brain responses are normally inhibited by information going to the prefrontal cortex for analysis and evaluation before action is taken. However, this process does not work as well when we are tired, stressed, or in a hurry.
Welcome to the world of unconscious biases: when we are overloaded or stressed, we are no longer able to keep the rational thought process under control. The amygdala becomes the primary regulator of our judgment. The description of the amygdala is ‘learns fast, forgets slowly,’ which makes it difficult for us to distance ourselves from quickly formed judgments based on emotion. Once formed in the brain, these perceptions and assessments create a pathway through the brain lubricated by a substance called myelin, which sends messages along the beaten paths even faster. Every time we use the same path, more myelin is left behind, making the journey even easier. Our thinking therefore travels along emotionally charged routes according to a certain standard. These thought patterns result in unconscious biases – associations or preferences developed at a young age through all kinds of experiences. They become automated and a persistent part of our thinking and behavior. These unconscious biases are not temporary whims, but have significant and potentially destructive consequences.
Preferences of the ‘us’ group and ‘them’ group
Leading a multicultural organization is a complex undertaking. Leaders working with multiple cultures are confronted with ambiguous and unnuanced information and are expected to provide clarity and make decisions that drive company growth. You can make effective decisions if you have the ability to analyze information and break it down into different components. This helps leaders make clear decisions in a gray area. Even though this might be a good measure in the decision-making process, if taken too far it can be distracting and actually achieve the opposite effect. An example of negative distraction is our tendency to divide people into two groups – the ‘us’ group and the ‘them’ group. While this division makes it easy to distinguish friend from foe in a primitive environment, it does not mean that it works in the complex world of diverse organizations. The decision-making process is made more difficult rather than helped by it.
What is the impact of preferences on our behavior?
The table below shows that depending on which group we place an individual in, we behave very differently towards this individual:
In group
- Members seen as individuals
- Individual difference is accepted
- Positive information is remembered
- Work hard for the in-group
- Prepared to make sacrifices – high investment
- Invokes feelings of: trust, worth self-esteem, security
Out group
- Members seen as homogenous
- Differences are minimized
- Less positive information is remembered
- Put in less effort
- Less prepared to offer support – quicker to disengage
- Invokes feelings of: uncertainty, unfamiliarity, hostility
In multicultural settings, the impact of the ‘us’ group and ‘them’ group is that those who do not belong to the overly dominant group are excluded. This results in the dominant behavior of the ‘us’ group becoming the ‘standard’ within the organization, and those who fall outside of it being ‘punished for being different’ through isolation, exclusion, or even aggression. The preference for a particular group creates space for a whole series of other preferences that are often seen in organizational behavior.
One of the clear manifestations of this preference relates to affinity bias (a preference for those with whom we feel a greater kinship). If someone looks like me, sounds just like me, or has the same background as me, I am more inclined to hire them, work with them, or give them a promotion. An encounter evokes a pleasant emotional response, and consequently, the decision that this person appeals to me is usually quickly made in my limbic brain, witnessed by my feelings. At that moment, it is confirmation bias (a preference for what confirms our idea) that ensures I only seek information that supports the positive opinion. If someone is different, the process works exactly the other way around. A negative emotion causes me to view the person as someone who is ‘wrong’ or ‘unsuitable,’ and I seek confirmation of reasons why I would not hire them, want to work with them, or offer them a promotion.
There are multiple ways in which affinity bias and confirmation bias work together and impact our behavior in the work environment. For example, when considering who we want on our teams, who we assign work to, and who we trust and network with.
What can we do about it then?
At TPC Leadership, just like at other leadership organizations around the world, we offer training in unconscious biases. Awareness of their existence is a good starting point, but not sufficient. Due to the profound impact of biases on the business environment, there is an awareness within organizations that it is wise to go a step further and minimize biases. By doing so, you reduce the impact of unconscious biases on business performance.
Future posts will discuss how a powerful model for cultural intelligence, combined with research results, helps us understand which unconscious biases play a role in behavior within our organization. But, even more importantly, they will also cover how we move from awareness to action with the help of developing cultural intelligence among our leaders.
For more information, please contact us.
