In the quest to foster more equitable and inclusive workplaces, we often encounter a significant roadblock: bias. These profoundly ingrained prejudices can manifest in various ways, from the seemingly innocuous water-cooler chat to significant decisions regarding hiring, promotions, or task assignments. While the necessity to challenge and address these biases is apparent, our approach can significantly influence the outcome. One key element that often gets overlooked in these challenging conversations is patience.

Understanding Bias: A Cognitive Shortfall

To comprehend why patience is crucial in addressing bias at work, we must first understand what bias is. Biases are cognitive shortcuts that our brains use to make quick decisions based on past experiences and social conditioning. While these biases can be helpful in certain situations, they can lead to stereotyping and unfair treatment related to a person's race, gender, age, or other identity attributes. The American Psychological Association highlights that many biases are unconscious, ingrained in us over years of social conditioning, and are not easily unlearned.

Deconstructing biases is not merely about unlearning harmful stereotypes; it's a process of restructuring cognitive frameworks that have been built and reinforced over a lifetime. Considering this complexity underscores the need for patience in addressing workplace biases.

Real-World Implications: The Case of Unconscious Bias

Consider a typical workplace scenario: an organization trying to diversify its leadership team, which is currently predominantly male. Despite efforts to hire more women, unconscious gender biases may lead the hiring committee to view male candidates as more competent or better suited for leadership roles. Addressing this bias isn't as simple as pointing it out to the committee members. It requires them to challenge deeply ingrained beliefs about gender roles and capabilities, which takes time and patience.

The Role of Patience: Fostering Change, Encouraging Growth

Adopting a patient approach when addressing bias offers multiple benefits. Firstly, it allows individuals to reflect on their biases, understand their origins, and work towards changing them. Research from Harvard Business Review suggests confronting people directly with their biases can lead to defensiveness and resistance. Instead, providing gentle feedback over time can lead to more lasting change.

Patience also encourages an environment of growth and learning. It sends the message that it's okay to make and learn from mistakes, fostering a growth mindset. As Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck's research indicates, people with a growth mindset—who believe abilities and behaviors can be developed through dedication and hard work—are more likely to learn from their mistakes and embrace challenges such as unlearning biases.

A patient approach can also foster more open and honest conversations about bias in the workplace. Employees who fear immediate reprisal or judgment for biased behaviors may become defensive or hide their biases, hindering productive dialogue. On the other hand, patience can create a safe space for employees to acknowledge and discuss their biases, paving the way for genuine change.

The Path Ahead: Patience, Persistence, Progress

While patience is crucial in addressing workplace bias, it must be paired with persistent effort and action. Patience should not be confused with complacency or acceptance of biased behavior. Instead, it involves continual, consistent efforts to challenge biases, provide feedback, and foster inclusive behaviors.

Addressing bias is a long, often challenging journey, filled with setbacks and resistance. Yet, the promise of a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace makes this journey worthwhile. As we navigate this path, let's remember to arm ourselves with patience, understand the complexity of unlearning biases, and foster an environment of growth and continual learning. Through this patient yet persistent effort, we can bring about lasting change in our workplaces, moving from bias to inclusion, from disparity to diversity, and from division to unity.

Continuing the Journey: Patience as a Collective Responsibility

In creating a more inclusive workplace, it's essential to view patience as a collective responsibility rather than an individual burden. Leaders, HR departments, and every employee have a role in fostering an environment that allows for reflection, growth, and transformation.

Leaders can set the tone by modeling patience and understanding in their interactions and response to bias-related issues. By doing so, they help individuals feel safe to recognize and address their biases and foster a culture of patience, empathy, and learning throughout the organization.

HR departments can embed this culture of patience into the organization's policies and training programs. This can involve creating longer-term, comprehensive diversity and inclusion training programs that give employees ample time to understand and address their biases rather than expecting quick fixes from one-off sessions.

Lastly, every employee can contribute by practicing patience in their daily interactions. This involves giving others the space to learn and grow, offering constructive feedback, and appreciating the efforts of others in addressing their biases.

Patience and Urgency: Striking the Balance

In discussions on bias, it's essential to balance patience and urgency. While patience helps create an environment conducive to change, an underlying sense of urgency is necessary to drive that change. Urgency reminds us of the importance of the task at hand – that creating an inclusive workplace is not just a noble goal but a critical requirement.

The urgency can take many forms: a clear message from leadership about diversity and inclusion, policies prioritizing bias reduction, or resources dedicated to diversity and inclusion efforts. Urgency without patience can lead to burnout and resistance, while patience without urgency can result in complacency. Striking the right balance is crucial.

Creating an Inclusive Future: A Long but Worthy Endeavor

Addressing bias in the workplace is not a sprint but a marathon. It requires us to invest time and effort, to face challenges head-on, and to remain committed even when progress seems slow. It necessitates that we approach each other with patience and understanding, acknowledging that unlearning biases is a complex process that takes time.

As we continue this journey, let's be patient with ourselves and others. Let's foster a culture of patience, empathy, and learning where everyone feels safe to acknowledge and address their biases. At the same time, let's maintain a sense of urgency, reminding ourselves of the importance and the critical need for a more inclusive workplace.

Through patience and persistence, we can create a work environment that is diverse and truly inclusive, a place where everyone is valued for their unique perspectives and experiences and where bias becomes a thing of the past. As we move towards this goal, let's remember the words of Theodore Roosevelt, "Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied many people who led difficult lives and led them well." Addressing bias may be difficult, but it is worth doing, and with patience and persistence, it can be done well.

Closing Thoughts: Patience as an Ally in Transforming Workplaces

As we take the path toward inclusivity and understanding, it becomes clear that overcoming bias is as much about fostering a culture of empathy as it is about eradicating harmful behaviors and prejudices. This journey is not a solitary one but a collective endeavor that requires the active participation of every individual in the organization.

Practicing patience with those who exhibit bias is not an endorsement of their views but an acknowledgment of the complexity of the human mind and the social conditioning that shapes our beliefs. Patience opens a dialogue and allows us the room to deconstruct biases without the barrier of defensiveness.

We must, however, guard against confusing patience with complacency. A patient approach doesn't mean we accept bias as an inherent or unchangeable trait of human behavior. It means we understand the time and effort it takes to overcome deeply ingrained prejudice. This approach should motivate consistent action, foster awareness, and propel us toward creating a bias-free workplace.

Moreover, patience extends beyond interpersonal relationships and should be woven into the organization's very fabric. Companies can demonstrate patience by investing time and resources in comprehensive training, adopting long-term strategies to promote diversity, and offering ongoing support to employees as they navigate their biases.

As we move forward, let's remember that the fight against bias is a marathon, not a sprint. Let's not measure progress in leaps and bounds but in steady, incremental steps toward a more inclusive and empathetic work environment. By nurturing patience alongside urgency and understanding bias as much as we seek to eliminate it, we create a workplace culture where everyone is seen, heard, and valued.

As we foster this patience, let's remember that while we are indeed fighting against bias, we are also advocating for understanding, empathy, and the belief that we can and will learn to appreciate the richness of human diversity. And that's a journey worth taking, however long it might be.

Imager courtesy of Toa Heftiba @heftiba

About Jim Woods
Jim Woods is the President & CEO of Woods Kovalova Group, a diversity, equity & inclusion expert who helping organizations for over 20 years. He knows how to create an environment where everyone feels respected and valued – no matter who they are or their background. His work with Fortune 500 companies such as Cisco Systems, Microsoft, and Boeing demonstrates that he understands how major companies operate.

With this level of expertise, you can be confident that Jim will help your organization reach its goals of creating a safe and equitable workplace. In addition, his strategies have proven successful in inspiring corporate cultures worldwide to pursue true transformation toward anti-racism and social change within their ranks.

Reach out today to learn how partnerships with Jim’s team at Woods Kovalova Group can make meaningful changes in your organization’s culture!