Jennifer Miller of industry charity The One and All Foundation asks about the role natural bias can play in career development and suggests how we can overcome it to help all members of the industry move up the ranks.
Think about the last time you went to a function or social event where you knew very few people. Who did you talk to first? Why?
Did they look or talk like you? Were they dressed in a similar way? Was there something else about them that made them familiar and safe?
It is a part of human nature to use visual and verbal signals to identify with others and make instant decisions about your likely affinity with them. Careers can be just the same.
When people talk about a turning point, or success within their own careers it is very rarely a training course that has made all the difference. The most common response is ‘I had this fantastic manager, mentor, director who really took me under their wing, he/she was inspirational and I learnt a lot’. We cannot underestimate the value of informal mentoring and coaching in career development.
So what affect does this have on the diversity of the workforce and talent development?
Research by the One and All Foundation shows the sector has strong diversity at a grassroots level, and a distinct lack of diversity in senior positions. In this environment, the natural bias of individuals can lead to a subconscious, reinforcing cycle in which those being informally mentored and developed mirror existing management. By the time an opportunity or promotion is available, those being informally mentored may well be the best person for the job – and so the cycle continues…
How do we solve this?
The One and All Foundation launched in October 2008 in order to work on this and other factors affecting talent development and diversity.
Over time the answer is that the more diverse a management team, the more likely they are to engage with ALL of their employees and the cycle may break itself. In the meantime we need to work to help businesses understand some of these underlying issues and at the same time, actively nurture and develop diverse talent already working within the sector.
Next month, the One and All Foundation will launch a reverse mentoring programme to engage with diverse talent and provide mentors from industry to meet with candidates over a six month period. It’s called reverse mentoring because the candidates will be mentored in the traditional way, and at the same time, the mentors will get face to face experience of some of the subtle challenges and barriers faced by minority groups.
For more information on the One and All Foundation and its work visit www.oneandall.org.uk. If you would like to register for mentoring, as either a mentor or a candidate, email jennifer@oneandall.org.u
Tags: bias, mentoring, One and All Foundation, training
