Three warning signs of group-think

Many organisations Green Park work with are approaching a pivotal moment when it comes to Diversity & Inclusion (D&I). They genuinely want a greater choice of talent and they want to be seen as more inclusive organisations – where anyone can do their best work – but are not seeing the results that they need, or that validate the speed of progress their own corporate narratives would suggest. And so, I think we are at a very dangerous tipping point around the perception of D&I in complex organisations, as internal trust is being eroded by the slow pace of change. 

Here are three signs of group-think that may be creating enterprise risks in your organisation:

1                  Einstein wouldn’t understand your recruitment practices

Einstein is widely quoted as saying that “madness is believing different results can be achieved by repeatedly doing the same things”. For example if you would like to see more diversity on shortlists but your current suppliers are not matching expectations or providing you evidence as to why proportionality is not being delivered, then simply telling your suppliers over and over again what you want will result in them eventually getting it for you, right?

Nine years ago I sat in front of the HR leadership council across government and used this argument by quoting an ill-advised analogy about catering: “So you would like authentic Thai food to be available once a week across Whitehall as a policy but you won’t allow departments or your supply chain to bring in experts, let alone engage with your buyers as to what they actually want. So even if you manage to get it right it will remain uneaten with only the faintest whiff of lemon grass remaining.”