Dr Dee, Kimbrel Management Consulting: Biases are inherited as part of the human condition

Could you introduce yourself to our audience?

My name is Dr Deanna Kimbrel, and I work in management consulting, specialising in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). I reside in upstate Rochester, New York. I work with organisations nationwide and from abroad to support implementing structure and strategy around leadership, culture and diversity, equity and inclusion.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced concerning women at work?

Over the last 17 years, I’ve been working in the field formally and informally, directly and directly. After starting my career in human resources and managing many tactical features of being a human resource manager, I progressed into strategic work to support organisational cultures and leaders. But it wasn’t until I was well into my career and learning more about organisational culture and diversity, equity and inclusion that I began to have some ‘aha!’ moments. Having worked on my doctorate in Management Organisational Leadership, I started to learn about organisational change, culture and leadership. This opened my eyes to some of my own experiences about how I am treated in a place of work and my ability to move in my career because of biases. But what was missing was that I didn’t have a voice because I didn’t have the right tools to articulate my experience. And I know this is a shared experience for others. So I wanted to be a voice for people like me – as a woman, a person of colour and beyond. I want to share my story and be the voice to communicate on behalf of people to implement change in organisations’ policies. 

When we think about DEI, we think about the wellness, psychological safety and trauma that can be associated with some of those limitations. And working with numerous organisations, it’s evident that people’s biases are creating barriers for people. We see with women that they are often limited before they are even given an opportunity because of assumptions like ‘she’s a mum, so she won’t have time to be a leader’. And this isn’t just about changing company policies but also how we think and challenging biased thoughts. 

What encouraged you to pursue a career in consulting? 

As I said earlier in my career, I started finding my voice and pursuing DEI because of my experiences. Despite companies becoming energised about DEI in recent years, these experiences aren’t new. And discriminatory experiences are recurring in society and cause separation in the way we think, behave and treat each other. My experiences fed into my career because they became frustrating, and I wanted to take action rather than just speak about it. This is why organisations must dig deep and drive change into the systems which perpetuate inequities, discrimination, racism, sexism, ageism and beyond. 

My education taught me what needed to be done to influence working environments for people, and it’s exciting to give people the tools they need to be better employers and employees. That’s the great thing about consultancy – I get more flexibility and conversations from all directions, which is vital to making impactful changes.

What are the benefits of creating an inclusive space with women in leadership?

There are many benefits, and I think every organisation is at a different level to unlock the magic that comes from diversity. It’s worth acknowledging that whilst organisations want greater diversity and women in the workplace, there needs to be an investment and drive to create space for them. Organisations need to be innovative and creative to build space and appeal to people of all backgrounds, and that’s why we also see people of all genders, races and identifications working in young, thriving organisations – because they are more flexible and innovative. In turn, people will do more than survive in their work environment; instead, they can succeed because they feel comfortable. This is essential to encourage women to harness their skills and work up to leadership roles. 

It may seem obvious, but inclusive spaces make people feel like they have a voice and naturally start contributing more and finding happiness in their work. Also, when people feel heard, they will be more vocal about improving working methods and generally want to excel. Inclusive environments have many benefits, as employees are more diligent and contribute to a more well-rounded organisation. 

Having worked with other financial institutions in your consultancy portfolio, what were the main challenges you saw concerning women? 

Some of the challenges I’ve seen centre around the perception of women and their capabilities. In essence, it’s understanding what women can do in their careers rather than looking at them from a gender perspective. In the industry, I’ve seen the desire for more masculine presences rather than objectively looking at what leadership means without feminine or masculine traits.

Another thing is visibility. Women in the industry don’t feel visible, so they miss out on opportunities and networking. We see women being overlooked because they are considered to lack the experience or an opportunity that may not be relevant for them. This isn’t the case because of their skills and positions. We’ve seen that women in leadership roles can sometimes emulate masculine characteristics that don’t align with who they are. This is a psychological safety, and they’re combatting the discrimination that women have experienced. But as we progress, people and organisations need to become more comfortable with different leadership styles. In turn, we’ll see women being comfortable with who they are, what they bring as effective leaders, and getting the job done. 

There’s more than one way to get a job done, and understanding that more than one way to be a leader and understanding that and trusting and what we bring to the table is enough to be an effective leader.

How do you think organisations can work to overcome resistance to creating a more inclusive space for women? 

Professionally, we can start to appeal to people’s hearts and minds by educating and bringing awareness. But biases are inherited by us, as it’s a part of the human condition. No matter who you are or where you come from, you will have biases, and while we can mitigate them, there is no way for them to 100% get rid of our biases. That’s why businesses must work on diversity, equality, equity and inclusion! Not only to challenge our behaviours but also to challenge the systems and processes that allow people to make decisions at work. 

Organisations should work to implement systems and processes that reduce the impact of biases and biased decisions for women; and that will create more opportunities. There are other ways to create inclusive spaces, such as workplace programmes, adopting technologies and focusing more on decisions around hiring, promotions, and assigning new projects. We can take responsibility as individuals, but there is a great need for organisations to drive this change and break the conditioning we have in relation to subconscious biases. But humans are smart! In one way or another, we have our own systems that will help us check what we say and do to ensure it’s right – and we can grasp that to make sure we’re playing our parts, too. 

What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?  

My advice would be to have courage. Use your courage, use your voice and stand up for what you believe in. Use that voice, and don’t be afraid. It’s okay if you do feel frightened but still do it. That in itself is courage. I would tell female leaders and aspirers to have the courage to do what needs to be done so that you get what you deserve and create your own access to what is rightfully yours. And that is respect, advancement, and opportunity.