Watching light bulbs go off for white men at my training sessions when they fully understand they have blind-spots in the workplace because gender isn’t a salient identity or because they unknowingly favor others who are like themselves due to affinity bias is so gratifying.
Once these realizations sink in, it is easier to understand how women’s career paths and organizational success are undermined. After all, it is hard to work on a problem if you don’t believe it exists.
Warren Buffett, a great white male champion, is using his position of power and influence by calling on men to invest in women in the workplace at the same level they are investing in their “mini-me’s” (other men for whom they have affinity bias because it is easier and more comfortable to develop deeper relationships with people who are like you). Buffet advocates for greater focus on gender equality, insisting in an essay last week that America’s future is bright but only if we work to dismantle gender inequities in the workplace and support women in “leaning in.” Buffet talks in terms of under-performance (see my first blog on this):
“So, my fellow males, what’s in this for us? Why should we care whether the remaining barriers facing women are dismantled and the fun-house mirrors junked? Never mind that I believe the ethical case in itself is compelling. Let’s look instead to your self-interest.
No manager operates his or her plants at 80% efficiency when steps could be taken that would increase output. And no CEO wants male employees to be underutilized when improved training or working conditions would boost productivity. So take it one step further: If obvious benefits flow from helping the male component of the workforce achieve its potential, why in the world wouldn’t you want to include its counterpart?
Fellow males, get onboard. The closer that America comes to fully employing the talents of all its citizens, the greater its output of goods and services will be. We’ve seen what can be accomplished when we use 50% of our human capacity. If you visualize what 100% can do, you’ll join me as an unbridled optimist about America’s future.” (May 20, 2013 issue of Fortune, published online on May 2, 2013)
It is time to eradicate hidden structural barriers as well as lack of awareness and resulting mind-sets. Calling all white male champions and allies………………….
