The workplace is our shared civic space. We can’t give up on diversity | Opinion

It’s official: Americans don’t like each other very much. The Pew Research Center is the latest institution to make that determination. According to a report it released in March, the majority of Americans it surveyed viewed their fellow citizens as immoral or unethical, or both.

The researchers didn’t bother asking them why they felt that way. They already knew the answer. Early last year, while conducting a different survey on the question of why so many Americans believed politically motivated violence was on the rise in the country, respondents told Pew that they believed the problem was our unwillingness to engage in dialogue about difficult subjects.

Most Missourians recognize that more dialogue between Americans could help heal our nation’s divisions. For example, according to a recent St. Louis University/YouGov poll of Missouri voters, many respondents supported the discussion of controversial issues in Missouri high schools. There’s less agreement about where adults should have such discussions.

There is one place where Americans of every political persuasion can be found in numbers — where they are surrounded for long periods of the day by people not of their choosing, and where they are potentially more open to engaging in dialogue about challenging issues: the workplace.

For decades, experts have been telling us how uniquely positioned workplaces are for enabling cross-cutting dialogue. “Of all contexts with the potential for political interaction, the workplace currently has the greatest capacity for exposing people to political dialogue across lines of political difference,” wrote Diana Mutz and Jeffery Mondak 20 years ago.

Response to civil rights movement

Regardless of whether it was intended, the workplace has become an instrument for unity in America.

Consider the impact of workplace unconscious bias education. These trainings began in the 1960s as a corporate response to the civil rights movement. Designed as a way for companies to combat workplace discrimination, they exposed generations of Americans to the concept of unconscious bias.

While research on workplace anti-bias education shows mixed results, one thing is undeniable: It has helped make millions of Americans more knowledgeable about bias, its dangers and its ubiquity. For a society that struggles with unity, this awareness is vital.

But the war against diversity, equity and inclusion is threatening this important pathway.

Following the death of George Floyd, many companies changed the focus of their trainings from anti-bias to anti-racism. When complaints grew among some workers that the emphasis on race made them feel uncomfortable, President Donald Trump responded with executive orders intended to end any training focused on “divisive concepts” or DEI. The result — according to Diversity MBA, an organization founded in 2005 to promote diversity and inclusion in the business world — was a decline in unconscious bias education, too.

Americans say they believe more dialogue is key to bridging our divisions. For decades, the American workplace helped to facilitate such dialogue—either informally, as workers casually discussed current events throughout the day, or, formally through anti-bias education. But, the pivot away from anti-bias toward anti-racism in 2020 damaged this important tool for promoting, and facilitating, unity among Americans.

Cooperation, not competition

This is how to repair it:

Focus on bias, not identity. Any curated workplace discussion focusing on identity runs the risk of breeding defensiveness among employees. Instead, leaders should focus on unintended bias in decision-making. This broadens the discussion from the narrow dimensions of race and gender, while underscoring how unconscious bias can impact decision-making of every kind.

Design trainings around cooperation, not a competition. When success depends on cooperation, the brain categorizes people differently. A participant is judged not by any superficial quality, but by what they bring to the table. Even subtle competition can prompt the brain to categorize participants as allies or enemies. Focusing on a common goal flips that instinct.

Participation, not observation. Lectures alone don’t challenge stereotypes as much as actively participating in an exercise with someone perceived as different. Active collaboration forces individualization and, as a result, people become known for what they can do, not for what they represent.

Don’t let employee status taint the outcome. Remember, when someone in the room has greater authority, or social standing, their comments can be unconsciously perceived as more accurate than the views of those regarded as subordinate. Clearly, diversity among participants is important. But, it’s equally important to ensure that all members feel safe enough to participate fully and honestly.

Size really doesn’t matter. Whether in a large corporation or a small business, when the boss explicitly and earnestly supports fairness and respect, those values become a workplace expectation. This doesn’t require a formal human resources department or expensive consultants. Even modest efforts (a structured conversation during a morning staff meeting, a short guided activity or the use of widely available online resources) can influence workplace culture.

Though the workplace may never be where Americans gather for prolonged, deep discussions about challenging social issues, it can continue to be the place where people of different races, genders and politics come together to learn about one another, and how to live together. For half a century, unconscious bias education in the workplace has played a role in that process. It must continue.

K. Ward Cummings is a U.S. Army veteran, a former senior adviser to members of Congress and the author of “Partner to Power: The Secret History of Presidents.” He co-wrote this with Howard Ross, an organizational culture and diversity specialist and author of “Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in Our Daily Lives,” and Anne Jaksa, a professor at Saginaw Valley State University and past chair of the board of directors of the American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education.