LEVELLING THE PLAYING FIELD MONASH WOMEN IN MEDICINE Professor Robert Wood November

Hiring a Lab Manager: John or Jennifer?* 2 *C.A. Corine Moss-Racusin, et al (2012) Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students, PNAS, 109:41, 16474–16479, doi: /pnas

Salary decision: John versus Jennifer* 3 *C.A. Corine Moss-Racusin, et al (2012) Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students, PNAS, 109:41, 16474–16479, doi: /pnas

Reactions Sadly, these results are not surprising but they are disturbing Figure 2 is misleading because the y-axis does not start at zero. Therefore, all claims based on this study are unreliable because they are the product of poor science. 4

How do we think? 5

6 Failures of conscious processing Slips (e.g., Tim Hunt’s problem) Too little too late (e.g.,The Fatal Shore riposte)

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8 Mistakes – Identity, comfirmatory bias and displaced costs

A neighbour has described Susan as follows: “Susan is very shy and withdrawn, invariably helpful, but with little interest in people or in the world of practical reality. Susan is very tidy, she has a need for order and structure, and a passion for detail.” Is Susan more likely to be a librarian or a lawyer? Fast vs. Slow thinking 9

Candidate Name: Daniel Smith Position Title: Financial Controller – Finance Summary of candidate strengths relevant to the position:  Daniel has seven or so years of experience in senior accounting roles  The success of Daniel’s financial analysis in his current role show the acquisition of adequate analytical skills  Daniel has a well-established record of delivering outputs punctually Candidate Name: Danielle Smith Position Title: Financial Controller – Finance Summary of candidate strengths relevant to the position:  Danielle has seven or so years of experience in senior accounting roles  The success of Danielle’s financial analysis in her current role show the acquisition of adequate analytical skills  Danielle has a well-established record of delivering outputs punctually

Meta Analysis of Evaluation Bias Studies* Ratings of matched female vs male leaders WOMEN RATED LOWERWOMEN RATED HIGHER Likeability Task Competence Social Competence Leader Desirability Reward Recommendation Hireability Future Career Success Men and women rated equally *Anna Genat, PhD student, University of Melbourne (N=156 studies)

Meta Analysis of Backlash Studies WOMEN RATED LOWERWOMEN RATED HIGHER Confrontational Likeability Task Competence Hireability Social Competence Assertive Women (Counter-Stereotypical Women) *Anna Genat, PhD student, University of Melbourne (N=156 studies) Men and women rated equally

In Summary*  Common stereotypes of leaders are associated with the male stereotype (assertive, decisive, analytical, independent)  People who act in counter stereotypical ways are penalised  Therefore...  Women who act like women are rated as less effective leaders than men (Evaluation Bias)  Women who act like men are judged as aggressive and pushy and “not a good fit” (Backlash) * Anna Genat, PhD student, University of Melbourne 13

STRATEGIES 14

The impacts of Unconscious Bias Unconscious Bias & Blindspots Recruitment & Selection Ethical Challenges Potential & Promotions Projects & Work Allocations Social Judgments & Inclusion Customer Relations Capital Investments and Purchasing Personal Preferences 15

Identify and target bias hotspots Recruitment and selection processes Performance management Promotion processes Talent and potential assessments Meetings Work allocation and “go to” people 16

Levels of Change Awareness Compensatory Strategies System & Processes Lead the Cultural Change Organizational Strategies 17 Audit and refine systems and processes – Talent management – Potential vs. performance judgments) – Recruitment & Promotion processes – Competency frameworks – Compensation (especially bonuses and other ‘discretionary’ rewards)

Some Strategies Inclusive meetings – Start with a bias reminder – Have agendas and organised processes – Use round robins – Use the board Development of talent – Diversify your “go to” people – Allocate projects/roles for development of men and women – Make promotion contingent on development of staff 18

Levels of Change Awareness Compensatory Strategies System & Processes Lead the Cultural Change Organizational Strategies 19 Audit and refine systems and processes – Talent management – Potential vs. performance judgments) – Recruitment & Promotion processes – Competency frameworks – Compensation (especially bonuses and other ‘discretionary’ rewards)

What makes an inclusive leader? 20 “The best leaders achieve great results by including diverse voices and creating a workplace culture that balances the sense of uniqueness and sense belonging for all team members” Catalyst, 2013

How do the members of your team feel? 21 COWORKER CONFORMIST INCLUDEDMISFIT LOW HIGH LOWHIGH TEAM MEMBERS FEELINGS OF UNIQUENESS TEAM MEMBERS FEELINGS OF BELONGING

Two key properties of all effective teams Team and self efficacy Psychological safety 22 Psychological safety refers to the belief that one can make mistakes or fail without ridicule or loss of respect. It is the feeling that it is okay to “be yourself” ‘ ’ Self efficacy is a person’s confidence that they can perform or learn the tasks assigned to them. Team efficacy is the some confidence for the team. ‘ ’

Employees who feel safe and confident at work* 23 Are willing to take risks Are not afraid to speak up about problems Are not afraid to make mistakes Trust their teammates not to undermine them or their work Are more productive and more innovative * Adapted from Catalyst, 2015

THANK YOU 24