Get your diverse team to outperform: Navigating through affinity bias
Abstract
While gender and racial diversity of healthcare organisations has been increasing, and improvements in representation have been made, significant disparities still exist, especially with pipeline progression in organisational rank and leadership level. In addition, once under-represented minority individuals become a part of a team, obstacles continue to inhibit those individuals, in subtle ways, from being fully able to contribute to the teams. One such major unconscious process is affinity bias, which is our subconscious preference for people who resemble ourselves or belong to our social group, as well as distrust and negative attitudes towards those different from us or not part of our group. Subconscious heuristics drive our brain’s cognitive processes for efficiency with the goal of keeping us safe in an uncertain environment, and we need these heuristics in order to function. In highly advanced organisations, however, when relying on the strengths of diverse teams determines the organisation’s competitive edge and financial profitability, affinity bias can undermine the organisation’s performance, and it is crucial that leaders are skilled in navigating its pitfalls.
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Author's Biography
Marzena Buzanowska , MD, MHA, is an Interventional Spine physician and a Medical Director at River City Sports and Spine Specialists in Columbus, Georgia. She is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine and Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she is a clinical instructor and Director of the MSK/Pain Medicine elective. Prior to joining River City, Dr Buzanowska spent four years working at the Cleveland Clinic. She is an active member of American College of Healthcare Executives, where she has spoken on the topic of leadership, implicit bias, conflict resolution and effective teamwork. She has also spoken about and published on medical topics related to regenerative medicine, interventional pain management and opioid therapy. Dr Buzanowska is a member of multiple professional societies, where she is active in the sphere of healthcare legislation, advocacy and health policy.
Mary Rensel , MD, FAAN, ABIHM, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and Director of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis and Wellness at the Mellen Center of the Cleveland Clinic. She has graduated from the Medical College of Ohio and completed her Neurology and Neuro-immunology fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic. She is boarded in Neurology and Integrative Medicine and is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. Dr Rensel’s work has focused on adult and pediatric multiple sclerosis, brain health and integrative medicine. Her work in academic medicine often intersects with wellness, advocacy, innovation, coaching and strategic initiatives. Dr Rensel has been a ‘Best Doctor’ of Cleveland since 2010 per the Cleveland Magazine. She is the owner of Brain Fresh, a neuroscience-based professional development support system.
Citation
Buzanowska, Marzena and Rensel, Mary (2023, September 1). Get your diverse team to outperform: Navigating through affinity bias. In the Management in Healthcare: A Peer-Reviewed Journal, Volume 8, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.69554/CMIZ1929.
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