Why George Floyd should be on every Finnish leader’s mind

The reactions to what happened to George Floyd are strong in the U.S., anger and riots have spread across the country. Even though we in Finland are geographically far away, and the U.S. societal context differs considerably from ours, his killing should not go unnoticed by any Finnish business leader.

Hurtful dynamics play out in our workplaces

It would be a mistake to think of what happened to George Floyd as merely a racist act, taking place in another context, and thus something unrelated to our lives in Finland. Even though we may not witness similar levels of racist violence, the same hurtful dynamics play out in our society every day: in our workplaces, in the streets, and in schools. As a leader you need to reflect and take action.

Is this a just world or did they deserve it?

We want to believe in a just world. When we see people being treated unfairly, time and time again, there are two possibilities. Our view of the world as a just place is shattered. Or we start believing that the ones that are unfairly treated have somehow caused their treatment: that they deserve it. As a leader you need to be aware of this risk, and work against it. Regularly ask yourself: is this just? Is it normal that so many of the cleaners are Black, and none of the leaders?

If you have not achieved equality for all in your organization, then be open about it. Otherwise you are participating in the construction of some groups as deserving less.

Will someone intervene?

None of the police officers did anything to stop the worse from happening to George Floyd, even though people in the street yelled at them, begging them to intervene. A lot of research has been conducted on people’s propensity to help when observing others’ suffering. Young children have been found to regularly stand up and help when needed, but by the time they are seven years old they start paying attention to group expectations and to the rules in the setting. Helping others becomes context dependent.

This is another aspect you as a leader should take into account. Group expectations shape the way we react to others’ suffering. If nobody reacts, there is a risk that we ourselves remain passive.

If your fellow leaders do not speak about racism or show interest in acting for more justice, there is a risk that you will follow them. But you also influence group expectations: you acting against racism will help other leaders act. Secondly, you are responsible for the group expectations in your own organization. Expect people to show empathy.

Act for empathy

There are many things you can do to create and sustain a culture where people do not remain silent when hurtful dynamics are at play and where, thanks to their intervention, the effect of those dynamics is lessened over time.

Identify injustices

First of all, identify the instances where injustices are taking place, make them visible and correct them. Research shows that discrimination in recruitment is far from uncommon in Finland, so an obvious place to start is within HR. Train your recruiters about discrimination and help them to speak up and to take action if they observe it happening. Denying minority candidates access to employment is not only discriminatory; it also contributes to racism more widely in society. Once you have trained your HR personnel, continue the work with other groups. How do your Finnish employees interact with non-Finnish clients and colleagues in everyday encounters? If microaggressions are common, you need to step in.

Encourage people to speak up

Secondly, create an organization where it is the norm to intervene to prevent unfair treatment of others. You want to have a culture where each employee has the courage to say Stop! when this is called for. A culture where every member listens to signals about potential injustices, and where members have the courage to identify systems of exclusion and break them.

To achieve this you need to listen and be ready to act upon what you hear. Make sure to allocate the resources and time needed to take action to address the challenges your members’ voice. Otherwise there is a risk that they will silence themselves.

Make empathy the norm

Each encounter builds up our culture and our expectations of what is right. This is why it is so important that you and your members see, listen, and act upon injustices. Every single time.

As a leader you can choose. Do not let your organization nourish racism. Choose to create contexts where empathy is the norm.

Readings:

Ahmad, A. (2019). When the Name Matters: An Experimental Investigation of Ethnic Discrimination in the Finnish Labor Market. Sociological Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.12276

Larja, L., Warius, J., Sundbäck, L., Liebkind, K., Kandolin, I., & Jasinskaja-Lahti, I. (2012). Discrimination in the Finnish Labor Market: An Overview and a Field Experiment on Recruitment. Helsinki: Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö.

Staub E. (2019): Witnesses/Bystanders: The tragic Fruits of Passivity, the Power of Bystanders, and Promoting Active Bystandership in Children, Adults and Groups, Journal of Social Issues, 75(4), pp. 1262–1293.

Selvitys afrikkalaistaustaisten henkilöiden kokemasta syrjinnästä. Yhdenvertaisuusvaltuutettu. https://www.syrjinta.fi/documents/10181/36404/Selvitys+afrikkalaistaustaisten+henkilöiden+syrjinnästä/47cdfad4-1fc5-4114-af0d-8a5d5999ffa1 Accessed 09.06.2020

Second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey. Being Black in the EU. https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2018-being-black-in-the-eu_en.pdf Accessed 09.06.2020