Bias Interrupted

CHAPTER 7

Can we make progress on DEI without getting all rigid and bureaucratic?

“Organization scholars since Max Weber have argued that formal personnel systems can prevent discrimination.”

—Frank Dobbin, Daniel Schrage, and Alexandra Kalev

Sometimes I divide the world into jazz and classical musicians. Classical musicians are emblematic of people who like everything pinned down and perfect. Jazz musicians are emblematic of those who like to improvise and go with the flow. This difference is captured by the preference for “openness” in the Big Five personality test, or the “judging” versus “perceiving” vector of Myers-Briggs.

You may be worried that getting better at DEI means your company will go from a culture of innovation and creativity ...