Survey: Creatives struggle with insularity and unconscious bias

Creativity has a diversity problem. ­­

According to a Ketchum/Fast Company survey of 500 creative staffers, there is a pervasive sense that diverse viewpoints are lacking in their place of work and that conformity is thwarting original thought. Eighty-five percent of respondents said that companies must do more to seek out, consider and promote “diversity of ideas.”

The homogeny of creative workers’ backgrounds and experience is not a new concern, nor is it a small matter. Far beyond just an inequality problem, lack of diversity is bad for business. It’s a survival issue, even. Yet nepotism, cronyism and hesitance to hire people from different cultures or outside the network are preventing the promulgation of fresh ideas.

Ketchum’s chief strategy and creativity officer, Karen Strauss, said about the study’s findings: “This survey is a wake-up call. The effect social media has had on limiting interactions with people who disagree with us and filtering information so it confirms existing views extends to our creative process. These findings underscore the need to seek and embrace dissent to break free of conformity and groupthink.”

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As for ways to dismantle the creative echo chamber, nearly 35 percent of survey respondents suggested “targeting those with non-traditional experience—not just writers and designers.” Twenty-one percent recommended “prioritizing the inclusion of people with diverse backgrounds and ways of thinking.”

Almost everyone polled agreed that speaking to people with opposing beliefs and learning about other cultures is a reasonable place to start.

Other key findings from the report include:

• Sixty-six percent of respondents affirmed that senior creatives were the driving force behind decision making, yet 72 percent said it’s junior professionals who more frequently offer bolder ideas.
• Seventy percent of those polled said “work experience” is the most important creative influence on idea selection; 26 percent said “gender,” and 25 percent selected “race.”
• Sixty-four percent of respondents identified “company leadership” as a main factor contributing to the creative echo chamber.
• To foster true diversity, the report suggests “actively recruiting and giving a voice to people from varied socioeconomic and academic backgrounds, people with work experiences outside the creative industries and people with beliefs that may not align with so-called industry norms.”

You’d think the creative sector would be an inclusive bastion of divergent opinions. Far from enclaves of iconoclasts and vibrant hives of free thought, many creative companies—whether in advertising, PR or marketing—seem content to ride the status quo and hire mostly similar people. This survey is a reminder of how costly that can be.

You can read more about the Ketchum/Fast Company research here.

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