Client teams: an innovative approach to reducing unconscious bias and differentiating through difference, by Kelly M. Brown
Client teams can serve as an innovative approach for bringing together a broad mix of people across a firm in ways that reduce unconscious bias and leverage diversity as part of a business differentiation strategy to deepen client relationships and grow business.
This article focuses on how law firms can use diversity and inclusion as part of a business differentiation strategy that drives revenue and profitability. It covers four key areas. First, it explores an emerging opportunity for law firms to use diversity and inclusion as part of a business differentiation strategy. Second, it looks at the challenge unconscious bias can pose to pursuing such a strategy. Third, it examines approaches to mitigating unconscious bias that focus on building effective interactions among people across differences (intergroup contact). Fourth, it illustrates how to apply intergroup contact within the context of building diverse client teams. The client team structure is used as a practical example for how to design effective interactions across differences to reduce unconscious bias. The client team structure is also used as a practical way to illustrate how diversity can be used as part of a business differentiation strategy to deepen client relationships and grow business.
‘Client teams: an innovative approach to reducing unconscious bias and differentiating through difference’ by Kelly M. Brown is taken from the seventh issue of the new Modern Legal Practice, published by Globe Law and Business, www.globelawandbusiness.com/journals/modern-legal-practice.