CBA Record November 2018

Y O U N G L A W Y E R S J O U R N A L

THE FOLLOWING GROUPS EXPERIENCE INCIVILITY OFTEN/SOMETIMES

mission’s surveys of Illinois lawyers, 51% of Illinois lawyers reported that a consequence of incivility is that it discourages diversity in the profession. This belief is mirrored by evidence that incivility disproportionately affects women and other under-represented minorities in the general population. This chart from the 2017 Civility in America survey shows that the groups of people most likely to experience incivil- ity are blacks, with 77% reporting they experience incivility often or sometimes, immigrants at 73%, and women at 72%. These are the target groups for increasing diversity in the legal profession. Similarly, theWorkplace Bullying Insti- tute conducted research in 2017 asking respondents for their personal experience in the workplace with abusive conduct that is threatening, intimidating, humili- ating, work sabotage or verbal abuse and to identify the perpetrator and the target. The results showed that 70% of the bullies

behavioral changes that can influence the level of civility. Those who are in leadership positions within their organizations can change their organization’s culture. Individual steps toward civility Be Self Aware. Key in to your own responses to triggers. Do certain people push your buttons? What are they? Do you find yourself less able to manage emotions at certain times of the day? Being self aware is important because incivility is typically a product of what Daniel Kahneman calls first system or fast brain thinking. In Thinking Fast and Slow , Daniel Kahneman asserts that decision-making is not entirely based on conscious, ratio- nal thought. He discusses two systems of thinking, the fast brain and the slow brain, or system one and system two. The first system, originally designed to help humans survive in threatening situations, is for instinct and snap judgments. The primal

were male and 65% of their targets were female. The 30% female bullies targeted women by 67%. The races most affected by the bullying were Hispanic, African American, and Asian. The 2018 Civility in America survey results showed a connection between incivility and a lack of diversity in the workplace. Those who characterized their workplace as being diverse and inclusive to a much greater extent also reported their workplace as civil. In contrast, respondents in uncivil workplaces were twice as likely to describe their employers as weak on diver- sity and inclusion. Incivility seems to fester and foster in less diverse environments. Call to Action: Increase Civility Where You Can There are things that each of us can do to move the needle on civility. Individuals, no matter their career and no matter the set- ting, should take personal responsibility for

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