CIICPD 2023

cooperation, initiative, and change, rather than antagonise them. It also underscores the significance and need for a more conciliatory attitude from the authorities, as a sign of respect and a tool for social reconciliation, especially in environments built on diversity. 3.1.5 In-group Bias In the following comment to the above-mentioned senior manager speech, the participant touched on another frequently discussed bias across the training sessions – the in-group bias, i.e. a tendency to give preference to people from one’s own group: He speaks so badly about us. So, then you think, what are leaders for? If you look at Germany, the leaders support all people, regardless of being a manager or the last workman in production. Here, leaders defend production workers. And when you make the efforts, then you are criticised. So, when people are on home office, we have to fill in tables what they do at home. This behaviour demotivates, regardless of the fact, the work-life balance no longer exists. The point made in this excerpt embraces the general principle of diversity management. To exploit the potential of human resources, the role of leaders is essential. As shown in this example, in-group bias, springing from the leaders, can do significant damage to the morale, motivation and endeavours across managerial ranks, departments, as well as individual employees. Favouring one’s own groups received more attention in the discussions during the training sessions, confirming existing in-group biases across the company divisions and individuals. Quite a few participants admitted their own tendency to maintain “more intensive contact with people sharing mutual interests” and “prioritise” their team over others. Some, at the same time, acknowledged “not always being objective” when defending their team members and their outcomes, as seen from the company reports. A question of the in-group cohesion, however, was raised in quite a few contributions seeking the boundaries between healthy competition and rivalry. One of the participants brought up an analogy to sports when pointing out his experience with the principles of team cooperation: I played basketball professionally; of course, in-group bias is present there, and this formed my attitudes. I experienced it at work as well as outside. But I think that specifically in sports, it is common, it is not detrimental. Of course, if a player is part of the team, he prioritises his team and of course he thinks that their players are good. They have mutual bonds, they train together. The fact that strong bonds, cohesion and solidarity are necessary for building a strong team spirit, efficient cooperation, dynamics, and productivity was accentuated by another participant’s contribution who “saw the in-group bias not as a prejudice but as the manager’s obligation to take care of the group” . Others, however, agreed that the tendencies in their company to “think to be the most important and the only ones committed to working hard while others goof around” reach beyond the boundaries of “healthy competition” between the divisions, “are underestimated” in their company, and thus “must be faced” .

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