Significant Factors in Leadership

The importance of diversity, inclusivity, equity, skills, networking, and unconscious bias

The significance of diversity, inclusivity, equity, skill development, networking, and the awareness of unconscious bias in leadership and throughout healthcare organizations - (Dr Claude H. A. Simpson).

Diversity, inclusivity, and equity:

Salsberg et al. (2021) highlighted the underrepresentation of Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations in the US healthcare workforce. It is noted that these populations are underrepresented in healthcare. The study emphasized the need to increase workforce diversity to better reflect the population and address health disparities. My observation about healthcare leadership roles and organizations is limited representation of underrepresented populations, especially in higher-level positions. This underrepresentation may limit diverse perspectives, cultural competence, and the ability to address the needs of diverse patient populations effectively. The Salsberg finding emphasized the importance of diversity in leadership roles and across healthcare organizations to enhance equity and improvement in patient outcomes. According to Salsberg et al. (2021), policies and actions must be implemented to strengthen and support a more representative workforce.

Yes, the Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations are genuinely underrepresented in leadership roles in the healthcare sector across America. Unfortunately, there is a marked diversity in leadership roles in many organizations. However, it is incumbent on an open-minded and fair leader to make changes to facilitate the pros in the organization, to implement viable projects to curtail the problems and encourage and promote inclusivity.

In many executive suites, especially the C-suite, they are predominantly white, regardless of the composition of the workforce. You may perceive that the absence of black males in leadership in many organizations reflects the history of the healthcare industry. Many organizations have diversity, equity, and inclusion baked in as mechanisms integral to their strategic planning models. It comes as no surprise to me that there may be implicit or explicit biases influencing who gets next in line for a job opening or to take over when a more senior, if not senior-most, staff person retires, dies, or moves on. And I can only suspect there may be systemic impediments getting in the way of ready access to career advancement.

Skills:
It is incumbent and crucial for a leader to embrace social skills and work to improve skills in self-awareness. Self-awareness implies deeply understanding individual emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs, and drives. When a person has a strong self-awareness, they are not overly critical nor unrealistically hopeful. As an individual, I seek to understand better how my feelings influence me, other people, and my overall personality. Self-awareness gives us the power to influence outcomes and improve our decision-making skills and self-confidence (Goleman, 2018). Self-awareness helps in performance reviews since it helps one be comfortable discussing limitations and strengths.

Self-awareness is certainly an indispensable quality, and leaders should take steps to improve in that area. Moreover, it can assist anyone in identifying areas for improvement and encourage them to seek constructive feedback, leading to personal and professional growth. One should also improve their social skills because all the other components support social skills. It might seem minor, but it isn’t. All components are related to each other in a helpful way and are equally important. Self-awareness and self-regulation are primary skills, foundational skills – if you can see and modulate your feelings, then you can use them better – yet the way you use your feelings to build rapport with others also depends on how much you practice your social skills. Because all the parts relate to each other, when you begin with what seems to be the most useful skills – social skills - you are starting at a place that embraces all the components of emotional intelligence. You are working on everything, not just part of a system.

Networking:
One purposeful and intentional design aspect of a value-added program that can be helpful in removing barriers for underrepresented populations is the importance of networking with peers, mentors, and various role models. This element seeks to support the mentorship opportunities of the underrepresented workers/employees and assist them in their progress in various industries and healthcare careers. This is essential for increasing the number of workers from minorities in those careers. A value-added program demonstrates an initiative-taking approach to addressing barriers faced by underrepresented populations in many organizations, especially in healthcare careers, by providing for relationship-building and empowering employees to overcome challenges.

Networking with peers, mentors, and role models has many advantages. However, it may need to provide consistent individual attention or traditional laboratory experiences, which can be frustrating for some employees. Despite this, a well-organized program can effectively build relationships and empower employees to overcome challenges. Networking with professional colleagues to prepare for top jobs and to shape their performance trajectory for new career opportunities are the great outcomes of participating in mentorship and sponsorship programs. But they have their downsides, too. Mentorship and sponsorship programs often set up the conditions in which employees are required to participate in a ‘box-ticking’ regime wherein both parties in a relationship – i.e., mentee and mentor or mentor and mentee – might regard the scheme as a chore and a burden.

Unconscious bias:
There are many strategies to mitigate unconscious bias: Leadership commitment to culture change, Meaningful diversity training, intentionally diversifying experiences, Cultural humility and curiosity, Mentorship and sponsorship, Questioning and actively countering stereotypes, and Self-reflection on personal biases. Among these strategies, the one that is currently being used in our organization is meaningful diversity training. The training promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion within the organization. The training program is effective in raising awareness of unconscious biases. Diversity training helps healthcare professionals acquire skills and knowledge that value diversity, understand and address cultural differences, and enhance the awareness of providers and the organization's cultural norms. Improving the knowledge and skills on diversity helps in appreciating diversity, contributing to more creative solutions when tackling problems. Meaningful diversity training is an effective strategy for reducing unconscious bias. It raises awareness of biases and provides tools to counteract them. Understandably, the training also promotes cultural humility and creates a more inclusive environment. However, diversity training may not result in long-term behavior change and can reinforce stereotypes if not implemented properly. The impact of diversity training on reducing bias in decision-making and improving outcomes is still a matter of debate. It may vary depending on the context and content of the training.

References

Goleman, D., Kaplan, R. S., David, S., & Eurich, T. (2018). Self-Awareness HBR Emotional Intelligence Series. Harvard Business Review.

Salsberg, E., Richwine, C., Westergaard, S., Martinez, M. P., Oyeyemi, T., Vichare, A., & Chen, C. P. (2021). Estimation and Comparison of Current and Future Racial/Ethnic Representation in the US Health Care Workforce. National Library of Medicine. (NIH). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33787910/