July 7th, 2014
There has been a great deal of conversation over the past couple decades around the so-called war for talent. Books and whitepapers have been written. Hours have been billed and speeches have been given. Talent certainly matters, and there is certainly competition for talent, but what remains unaddressed inside most organizations is the war on talent. In a recent post at Harvard Business Review, Fear of Being Different Stifles Talent, Kenji Yoshino and Christie Smith summarize their research and shine some light on this war.
“We reached these conclusions after surveying some 3,000 employees in more than 20 large U.S. firms. Our subjects represented a mix of ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and levels of seniority. Their companies spanned 10 industries, but all had a stated emphasis on inclusiveness. Yet 61% of the workers surveyed said they had faced overt or implicit pressure to cover in some way.”
6 out of 10 employees feeling pressured to be less who they are, to cover, to fit more neatly in. 6 out of 10. In companies with stated commitments to inclusion. 6 out of 10. Another good reminder for us of how difficult inclusion actually is. Inclusion is not simply an absence of hate or intentional discrimination, it goes far beyond that. Inclusion requires us to be proactive, intentional and relentless in seeking out and removing real and perceived risks to being authentic. Inclusion is the sweet spot where the individual is treated as an insider and also allowed/encouraged to retain uniqueness within the work group. Whether that sweet spot exists in an organization, and whether or not employees are able to find it if it is there, has real consequences, both for the employee and the organization. More from Yoshini and Smith:
“Of the employees who reported feeling pressure to mute some aspect of their identities, 66% said that it significantly undermined their sense of self. Fifty-one percent said that perceived demands for covering from leadership affected their view of opportunities within the organization, and 50% indicated that they diminished their sense of commitment. And although covering was more prevalent among traditionally underrepresented groups, including gays (83%), blacks (79%), women (66%), Hispanics (63%), and Asians (61%), we found a surprising incidence among straight white men, 45% of whom told us that they downplayed characteristics such as age, physical disabilities, and mental health issues.”
Until we can do a better job of actually realizing and utilizing the talent that is already on the payroll, I for one will not be able to take any conversation about the war for talent seriously. Be good to each other.
Upcoming public offerings –>>
August 3rd – I am doing a pre-conference workshop “The Art of Leadership” with the lovely and talented Doug Shaw at the Illinois SHRM Conference.
August 5th – I am doing a pre-conference workshop “Culture Builder Bootcamp: The What, Why and How of Building an Inclusive Organizational Culture,” at the Missouri SHRM Conference.
September 2nd – FORWARD! St. Paul: Diversity and Inclusion Workshop with a Bias for Action
September 3rd – FORWARD! Minneapolis: Diversity and Inclusion Workshop with a Bias for Action
FORWARD! is a new and highly actionable 1/2 workshop, ping me if you are interested in bringing this workshop into your organization of if you would like to help bring it to your community.
September 17th – I will be delivering one of the keynote messages for the Kansas SHRM Conference.
See you when I see you.