Do we realize when we think or set plans, how much our decisions or strategies are affected or even driven by the stereotypes that we have in the background?
A stereotype according to a fundamental psychological definition is an adopted thought about specific types of individuals or certain ways of doing things, and mostly the word is used to describe a racist, sexist or homophobic, but that is not all what it is about. Generally if you have solid impressions about persons, groups, ideas, theories or anything else, then you are a stereotype thinker!
Why should we in business life be aware about it?!
There are some arguments saying that if the thought is true than it is no more a stereotype!
I personally don’t agree with this, and that is for several reasons, one of them is the rapid change in all aspects of life around us, so what you think is correct today, would not be 100% correct tomorrow, so if you judge individuals, regions, markets or possibilities based on old values you would be absolutely missing a lot if not all.
"Stereotypes lose their power when the world is found to be more complex than the stereotype would suggest. When we learn that individuals do not fit the group stereotype, then it begins to fall apart." Ed Koch
From another side, sticking to stereotypes claiming they are true is exactly as closing the doors in front of innovation. When people stick to stereotypes they represent a thought that tries to simplify issues instead of accepting the existence of the great diversity.
From here we understand the importance for organizations and leaders to be aware of the stereotype issue, working continuously to identify where a stereotype is affecting the business and setting plans and strategies to avoid stereotypes from spreading through the organization.
“Once upon a time, there was a shoemaker who successfully developed his business from a local workshop to a factory serving his town and the surrounding areas, by the time he started to think about extending his business out of the borders, he heard about a remote manned island, he sent one of his assistants to this island asking him to investigate and study the potential of the market and possibilities for this business to extend in this island, after 2 weeks he came back reporting that the chance of their business is zero, the inhabitants of this island are barefoot and do not use shoes. Few days later he sent another assistant to the same island for the same mission, he came back after 1 week reporting that this market is their biggest chance that they should use, inhabitants are suffering from need of shoes and there are no competitors for their business in this island.”
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