You can’t see them
“Are there any of blind spots in your organization?” This question was part of a questionnaire from an consulting firm specialized in ethical issues management. At the time, I was working at a bank, and a consultant from this firm wanted to conduct a sort of baseline assessment prior to an introductory conversation about ethics and our bank.
My manager answered honestly: “Not as far as I’m aware.” At first, I laughed, both at the question and the answer. What a question! Every organization has blind spots. Every profession has its typical blind spots. Every person has them. But we are not aware of them. That’s exactly what characterizes blind spots: you don’t see them.
But in fact, it wasn’t funny at all. Blind spots can’t be mapped with a simple questionnaire. That’s exactly what makes managing them so difficult. Exit consulting firm. But the underlying question is certainly important and deserves serious attention. Gaining more insight into blind spots is crucial for ethically sound, inclusive, and future-proof organizations. If we can’t make blind spots visible with questionnaires, how can we?
Bring in outsiders
That’s why it’s important to organize dissent. This can be done in various ways. For example, by ensuring that there is enough diversity within the organization. But make sure that these diverse people engage in conversation with each other. Let employees work together in mixed teams or, for instance, ensure they don’t stay in the same department doing the same work for too long.
Another way to map blind spots is to listen carefully to critical outsiders and stakeholders. Invite professionals into your organization who look at things differently and see things you don’t, mavericks. Let an artist, a philosopher, or a journalist shadow your team for a few weeks with an open agenda. I guarantee you will gain new insights. Artists see things differently, journalists ask follow-up questions, as do philosophers. As a philosopher, I pay particular attention to what’s left unsaid: the underlying assumptions and hidden meanings.
Design a ‘Blind Spots’ plan
Mapping blind spots can be painful. It shouldn’t be done casually. So, work purposefully and, as a management team, ask yourselves a few critical questions beforehand. Are you really willing to open up? Are you truly ready to listen and learn from others? And what are you going to do with any new insights? Those kinds of things should be laid down in a blind spots plan. Such a plan includes, besides objectives, a set of clear ground rules.
Finally, healthy dissent requires good facilitation. Someone who can act as a mediator and translator. A neutral facilitator who ensures that the interaction process goes smoothly, even when it becomes uncomfortable.
Want to know more?
Would you like to explore with me how to develop a blind spots plan for your organization or team? If so, please contact me.
