Operational Truths: When an Equality Workshop Missed the Problem
Every company has moments where things don’t go as planned. In this series, we share real stories, anonymously, and what we can learn from them.
A tech company noticed that some women on the team felt left out in client conversations. Even when they were the experts in the room, the discussion often ended up being led by someone else.
Leadership decided to address the issue and arranged a workshop on how to create a more equal workplace.
To make it practical, the team was divided into two groups.
One group of women.
One group of men.
The task was simple: discuss what we can do to improve the workplace and make it more equal.
The women went off and started working on their plan.
The men came back after a few minutes and said,
“We don’t really understand what we’re supposed to do.”
When the groups presented their ideas, the women had outlined several concrete suggestions around communication, meeting dynamics, and responsibility.
The men had two proposals:
- We should help the girls clean the kitchen more often.
- We should also help bring out and put away the Christmas decorations.
The average age in the male group was 24.
(Ouch.)
Takeaway:
If you want to change a culture, you first need a shared understanding of what the problem actually is. And then a willingness to see it from someone else’s perspective.
Without that, even well-intended workshops can miss the point completely.
Seen something similar?
Send us your story at hello@norriva.com. We’ll share selected ones anonymously in future posts. Everyone who submits will be entered into a lottery to win a copy of The Norriva Go-To-Market Recipe Book.