The Council’s industry-leading Inclusion & Diversity Business Champion Program brought participants together for a structured best practice sharing session to discuss unconscious bias last week. I&D Engagement Committee Chair Lamonica Spivey, Inclusion, Diversity & Corporate Social Responsibility Director, TechnipFMC, facilitated the session.
Participants broke into small groups to discuss questions about unconscious bias, strategies individuals can employ to identify and address their unconscious biases and why it is important to address it within organizations.
“Having buy-in and setting the tone has to happen at the top but the guidelines and the process should permeate throughout and carry to every level of the organization,” said one participant.
Some teams discussed powerful concepts around unconscious bias and how to share these ideas among team members.
“It sounds like a cliché, but ‘bringing the unconscious to being conscious’ makes a lot of sense,” said one another participant. “If we can start making people within our organizations aware of unconscious bias, people will start building their own self-awareness, which is so critical.”
In addressing unconscious bias, participants identified various groups within an organization that should take the lead in creating a culture of belonging.
“We cannot just say everyone is responsible; we have to be more specific,” said one participant. “Leaders set the tone, employees are actively involved, but we need to consider and encourage middle management to have a focus on unconscious bias priorities.”
The program, which includes interactive seminars, peer coaching and executive sponsorship, guides participants in developing detailed plans to lead meaningful changes within their companies.
The group meets next on September 28, where the focus will be on the talent pipeline and retention. The Council remains a leading resource in the inclusion and diversity sphere and looks forward to continuing to expand on this important initiative.
The Council will host workshops on July 13 and August 5 to explore results of the recently released 2021 Inclusion and Diversity Study and offer recommendations on ways to continue making progress. The workshops will be facilitated by TechnipFMC and conducted in partnership with Accenture.
Peggy Helfert, Senior Director Programs and Events, writes about the Council’s sector-specific best practices and leadership. Click here to subscribe to the Council’s newsletter, which highlights industry practices, workforce development, Council activities and more.
