M2 Case Study: A New Team Face

From the case study, it appears that everyone on the team is smart, creative,

hardworking, and possibly carries a sense of pride given their impressive background. To add to

that, they are predominantly white and so they might be showing an unconscious bias towards

individuals of the same race and/or ethnicity. I believe this is the reason why Fryar has been

finding it difficult to gel with the team. Towards the end, the case also mentions that he expressed

his feelings to his “husband” (not wife) suggesting that he is homosexual which might have kept

his teammates from acknowledging him in these collaborative discussions. Fryar is seen as the

“odd man out” in the team that is hurting his chances of making an impact early on.

Barry Giles is a good leader. He wants to see Fryer thrive in his role as he had originally

anticipated. In order to think of a solution, he needs to realize that this team wasn’t diverse before

Fryer joined that is leading to the unconscious bias against people of color. The source of the

problem is that the team is lacking empathy for one another. Hence the solution would have to do

with everyone’s mindset rather than just re-building or structuring the team such that it is diverse.

As it is mentioned in The Real Effects of Unconscious Bias in the Workplace, “Our brains are

quick to confirm pre-existing assumptions and this can cause us to become close-minded and

quick to dismiss the ideas of others when they fail to match our own ideas.” (McCormick, 2016,

7). This team is portraying similar behavior towards Fryar and needs to change to welcome

diverse talent and consider various perspectives to further enhance what they are truly capable of

achieving. Giles needs to work with HR to offer mandatory awareness trainings about diversity

and inclusion, and how to avoid unconscious bias. This will open up everyone’s eyes and convey

the importance of this matter while emphasizing the power of diverse teams with fresh

perspectives. Secondly, he needs to put it to practice by conducting regular team building

activities that help build rapport with one another and develop a sense of empathy and trust

towards fellow colleagues regardless of their racial background. Lastly, as a manager, Giles

needs to absolutely make sure he is recognizing judgments and making decisions based on skill,

passion and potential rather than any individual’s personal traits. His should always keep his

communication professional, neutral and clear with genuine respect for everyone in the team.
This particularly matters during the activities of hiring talent, assigning work, and providing

performance feedback. These are a few actionable items for Giles to execute that can address

the unconscious bias that his team appears to portray and make newcomers like Fryer feel

welcome regardless of their skin color, background and sexuality.

References

McCormick, H. (2016). The Real Effects of Unconscious Bias in the Workplace. University of

North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School.