In-Groups and Out-Groups

Domain: Personal Effectiveness - Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Understanding the concepts of ingroups and outgroups is foundational for being a more inclusive leader. For those who are not familiar, an in-group is a group to whom you belong based on shared commonalities such as age, race, education, interests, etc. In-group members tend to have positive views of one other, and may even show preferential treatment to one another. An out-group, by contrast, is anyone who does not belong to the in-group based on the fact they don't share the commonality in question.

You are likely part of multiple ingroups with different circles of people.

The truth is we all carry biases that lead to in-group/out-group thinking. The idea is to develop the ability to spot that thinking so that you can intentionally address it. Even if you truly did treat everyone the same regardless of in-group affiliation (you don't), there is a strong likelihood that others will assume an affinity bias to the in-group members for whom you give more time or attention.

Leaders often say that DE&I is a moral imperative and also good for business, They're right on both accounts, but the problem is they often don't elaborate on the business benefit.

The reason that DE&I is good for business is that diverse perspectives and ideas lead to more well-rounded designs and solutions. If you surround yourself with only your in-group affiliates, you'll create an echo-chamber with large blind spots that leave you and your business unable to compete. This inhibits performance and discourages talent retention.

So that's the groundwork. Let's assume that we're all on-board and ready to explore our in-group/out-group behaviors. What uncomfortable actions can we take?

Look inward

Like anything that requires us to develop our emotional intelligence, self-reflection is the first step. At work, whose desk or station do you tend to stop at most frequently or for longer periods of time? Who do you spend the least time with? What in-group/out-group affiliations do you notice with these individuals?

Money talks

Pull full compensation data for your team (salary, bonuses, historical merit increases, etc.). Are there trends here that align with in-groups or out-groups? This is also a great opportunity to do an analysis on the gender pay-gap of your team while you have the data in front of you.

Embrace the anti-you

You know that one person at work who just eats at your nerves? Let's explore that. First, consider what about them drives you crazy and how that reflects on you or your world view. Next, invite them to coffee or lunch with the goal of getting to know them a little better. If the opportunity comes-up, you can even seek feedback from them regarding your work style and communication. Again, tie your observations and learning back to your in-group/out-group affiliations.

Multimedia

Let's end on a fun note. Sit down and write-down the TV shows, media channels, movies, podcasts, music, books, etc. that you've consumed this year.

Now, identify the content in that list that are out-group centric. For example, if you're a straight white male, look for content where the protagonist/creator is not part of that same in-group. The amount of in-group focused content you consume will surprise you.

While most of these media formats do have a historic bias towards certain majorities, we live in an age where almost anyone can express themselves via podcasts, TikTok, YouTube, etc. You are what you eat. Go find something different.

Thank you for reading. My hope is always that you've found something helpful and easy to implement.