University at Buffalo School of Management

"#MeToo shouldn't be a le or right cause—it should be everyone's cause," says Lemoine, who par- ticipated in a pop-up discussion on inclusive lead- ership this fall with other School of Management faculty (see sidebar). "If we want any chance at chang- ing things, we need to do less talking at each other and more listening, and get people to think of things from somebody else's perspective. Those conversa- tions can lead to progress." Going beyond #MeToo For their research, published last year in Personnel Psychology, PhD student Katie Badura and Emily Grijalva, assistant professor of organization and human resources, examined 59 years of data and discovered that, on average, men are still more like- ly than women to be viewed as leaders. At the same time, the gender gap in leadership has narrowed in recent decades, they found. "I'm hopeful the #MeToo movement was spurred because there has been cultural change in the first place," says Grijalva, who discusses sexu- al harassment in her undergraduate HR courses. "It wasn't sparked by Harvey Weinstein. It was sparked by women having more influence in society and being more respected." Some experts say #MeToo exposed a power im- balance in certain organizations—and the business world more broadly—that's at the root of many hos- tile work environments. According to global non- profit Catalyst, women make up nearly 45 percent of S&P 500 companies, but only a quarter of senior-lev- el managers and less than 5 percent of CEOs are women. As #MeToo forces companies to examine their practices, addressing sexual harassment is only the beginning. A former vice president of human resourc- es at JPMorgan Chase & Co., Lisa Friedman, BS '84, was part of the team that established the company's first diversity, inclusion and work-life strategy more than 20 years ago. Today, as principal consultant at Springboard and president of LF Consulting LLC, she helps organizations assess and change their cultures to be more inclusive and drive greater results. Her clients first define their business case for diversity and inclusion, and then begin implementing or up- dating their programs, including unconscious bias training and equitable hiring, compensation and pro- motion practices. "With #MeToo, women are saying, 'I feel unsafe.' But for some women, it's also about saying, 'I feel un- welcome, undervalued or unheard,'" says Friedman. By any measure, the United States is more polarized today than at any time in recent history. And as controversial topics seep into organizations, it's up to leaders to create an inclusive atmosphere, increase civility and bring their teams together. As part of a broader mission to be part of timely, relevant conversations and make a positive impact on business and society, the School of Management hosted a pop-up discussion last fall among students, faculty and staff—as well as alumni and friends via Facebook Live—on inclusive leadership. Paul Tesluk, dean of the School of Management, moderated the open forum, which also highlighted the research and expertise of four faculty members. Here are their recommendations: Mind the gaps "Fault lines, or divisions, are fundamental in groups, but they can lay dormant and suddenly explode and get out of control. The good news is you, as a manager, can bridge those fault lines by introducing something we all have in common. For example, we all love the Sabres and Bills and can have a meaningful conversation on that shared topic." — Kate Bezrukova Encourage dialogue "Seventy percent of employees routinely withhold ideas at work over fear of repercussions or damaging relationships. But leaders can send signals about how safe it is to speak up in a given environment. Be a leader who listens and supports people's ideas, who encourages expression of different opin- ions and responds in a way that suggests there's respect for those opinions." — Tim Maynes Be open-minded "Narcissists are particularly divisive. They probably don't listen to others' opinions, and think they're right and everyone else is wrong. This made me think introspectively: When's the last time I read news media or had a conversation with someone who doesn't share my opinion? It's easy to label other people as narcissistic, but it's more useful to force yourself to be more open-minded." — Emily Grijalva Do right "Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind, has convinc- ingly argued that when we see a political issue, we don't use reason to work through it; we have a moral intuition and rationalize it. That's human nature and the opposite of inclusivity. Can we move past that? In organizations, the people who have the most success are those who speak the softest, who speak with compassion and try to do the right thing." — Jim Lemoine Reject fear "Instead of playing to fear, which pulls us apart, visionary leaders appeal to the things we aspire to, which gets us to think creatively and come together because we've identified common problems we can only solve together. Reject fear, and focus on aspiration and vision." — Paul Tesluk The Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness sponsored the pop-up event as part of the school's Business and Society series. Inclusive leadership in divisive times #METOO Spring 2019 Buffalo Business 13

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