Balancing Act

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Inclusion and power dynamics are subjects I have been studying and incorporating in my work. I've run several programs on this subject as well. This article 'To Overcome Resistance to DEI. Understand What's Driving It' (https://lnkd.in/gKAbpX3q) lies at the heart of the matter.

The article lists three psychological threats of status, merit and morality, perceived by the established majority group, which drives them to resist DEI initiatives by organizations. I explain below power dynamics form the bedrock of these threats and determine efficacy DEI initiatives:

1. Status threat (involves DEI initiatives being viewed as a zero-sum game where one gains power and other loses).

How does this threat connect to inclusion and power?

Here, the underlying assumption of the majority groups is that there can be no balancing of power- two or more groups cannot exist simultaneously and hold their rightful place in the organization. This group derives a lot of their identity and power from status and control. Sharing that with another group makes them vulnerable. To address this, DEI policies can be framed to include perspectives, interests and values of both groups, so the other group doesn't feel neglected. This calls for having an honest dialogue and leaders taking a nuanced approach so they don't appear to be taking sides.

2. Merit threat (members of the advantaged group who value hard work and merit feel that recognizing the existence of bias, discrimination, and inequality explains away their own successes).

How does this threat connect to inclusion and power?

Talent, high performance and achievement are huge powers lending to the majority group's high rank. DEI measures may make these individuals feel like they've earned their positions and promotions by virtue of affiliations and favors of an unfair system rather than their own merit. Leaders may not intend to give out this message but that's how it's experienced by the group.

Leaders who have the power of decision-making authority therefore need to be conscious of how their words and actions are viewed. The majority group, on the other hand, instead of feeling powerless, needs to be conscious of their power of their talent, accomplishments and track record. They need to own that power and voice their concerns instead of putting up resistance, a passive aggressive approach.

3. Moral threat (this is the sense that if you acknowledge your privilege, you tarnish your moral image by linking yourself to an unfair system).

How does this threat connect to inclusion and power?

Interesting one. There are two aspects to this threat- firstly, people giving up their power and secondly, our natural tendency towards negativity bias.

i) Giving up power- we are surrounded by so many examples of the misuse of power that, unfortunately, it seems almost offensive to claim power. People feel that by not owning their power, they are being fair and just. The reality is that whether we like it or not, whether we want it or not, power is present in every role we take on, we cannot give it up. So, we might as well learn to use it well.

ii) Negativity bias- we are wired to identify with our low rank positions than high rank ones. This means that we easily recall incidents when we were victims but it's harder to recollect when incidents where we have hurt others. So those in privileged positions are not aware when they have been unjust or discriminatory, whereas when they are at the receiving end, the experience gets magnified.

A moral threat is usually accompanied by a refusal to acknowledge the presence of discrimination. So, DEI initiatives may work better if presented as an opportunity to demonstrate universally held ideals of fairness, equality and so on, rather than as an obligation that a majority the group needs to live up to.

The aim of DEI measures is to distribute power in the system so no one group enjoys all the importance and privileges. When power dynamics are ignored, it may flip the coin in favor of the marginalized group. And in the new sub context the majority feels threatened, continuing the struggle for power.

So while leaders may successfully roll out initiatives and achieve diversity, they fail to create inclusion, belongingness and cohesion in the system because subtle forms of prejudice and insecurities still exist at an individual level. In a nutshell, DEI cannot be the responsibility of one team or group alone. To be successful, it needs to become a mindset.

I'm a facilitator and coach with over a decade of experience. I support individuals and teams in their learning and growth. If this post resonated with you and you'd like to know more about Diversity, Inclusion and Power dynamics write to me at gauri.raosharma@gmail.com.

You can also read more about me and and my work on my website https://gauriraosharma.wixsite.com/website-2