The pursuit of fairness has become a central tenet of social discourse and policy-making. But I will argue that the current push for “fairness” in society has charted a path to unfairness that undermines psychological safety, will unavoidably create division, and could even lead to civil war.

The Innate Sense of Fairness: Lessons from Capuchin Monkeys

To set the stage, let’s talk about the importance of fairness to the human brain. There was a fascinating experiment done with Capuchin Monkeys which you can see here.

In this experiment, two capuchin monkeys are placed in adjacent cages and asked to complete the same task. Upon completion, one monkey receives a grape, while the other, observing this, eagerly performs the task but is rewarded only with a piece of cucumber.

Unsurprisingly, the monkey given the cucumber reacts angrily, even throwing it back at the researcher. The experiment is done very well to bring out ONE thing – our brains are triggered when we experience unfair treatment. This behavior highlights a natural and innate instinct for fairness.

The Role of Empathy in Human Connections

Furthermore, humans are social animals, and so our brains have specialized circuitry to help us connect with each other on an emotional level. We call this “empathy”, and the stronger that circuitry is, the more one person can “feel” the joys and pains of another. In a sense, one brain mirrors the emotions and feelings of another brain. If you want to experience this for yourself, watch this commercial from Ikea that demonstrates this human brain feature perfectly.

So, in a very real sense, empathetic people can “feel” the pain of another person who they see being treated unfairly. So, whether a person is being treated unfairly or they see another being treated unfairly, they are likely to respond with an innate and natural anger.

Fairness is a Universal Trigger

I hope after reading the information above and watching the videos, you are nodding your head in agreement at the obvious importance of fairness and one’s ability to lash out at those who are creating perceived unfairness. Fairness is a trigger that all humans have, albeit at different sensitivities.

What’s your sensitivity to Fairness? Take the S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ Assessment to find out

Now, let’s confront the problem of the implementation of fairness in society. What is fairness?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “the quality of treating people equally or in a way that is right or reasonable.”

ChatGPT takes it further and says, “Fairness is about making decisions without bias, ensuring everyone is treated equally and justly. It involves applying consistent standards to give everyone an equal opportunity while considering individual needs and circumstances.”

And here is the rub, both definitions talk about treating people “equally,” and ChatGPT talks about decision-making without bias. But what does “equally” mean? How do we ensure this is done “in a way that is right and reasonable”?

The Problem with Trying to be “Fair”

The answers to these questions may seem obvious to some, but it’s important to note that centuries of studying human behavior show that it’s impossible to make decisions completely free of bias. The concept of “equity,” based on “consistent standards,” requires standards that are both comprehensive and unbiased—an impossible task.

This dilemma leads us to a subjective metric of “equity,” similar to how Supreme Justice Potter Stewart described his criteria for determining obscenity: “I know it when I see it.” This presents a serious issue, as what one person perceives as equity might be seen as unfair by another.

Examples of Perceived Unfairness in Business Policies

While I could provide broader examples from society, I will focus on a few specific cases in the business realm.

1 – Uniform Management Styles

Uniformly managing all team members by allowing them to achieve their targets without “micro-managing” them. For team members who are high on their need for autonomy and low on their need for certainty, this policy will be wonderful, but for team members who are not high on autonomy and/or are high on their need for certainty, this will be a nightmare – and will come across as very unfair.

2 – Uniform Benefits Packages

Sometimes benefits packages are designed more to suit one group over another. For example, free gym passes will suit a particular part of a company while reduced cost child care will impact another potentially different group. Same with work-from-home policies – which can benefit more autonomous workers but stunt those who need mentorship or are already quite socially isolated and would prefer face-to-face time. Again, this well-meaning “equality” policy can be very unfair.

3 – Across-the-Board Pay Raises (or lack thereof)

I have a personal example of this situation. The company I worked for had a poor year overall, however, my project generated millions in profits – having its best year ever.  When they announced stunted bonuses across the board, I was very upset and felt this was totally unfair.  Thankfully, my protests were heard, and my compensation was adjusted. But sometimes, this well-meaning approach to equity can lead to a feeling of extreme unfairness.

4 – Hiring Quotas

This is one of the most contentious topics on my list. It has also become a hot button for many employees and investors alike. And has created an attack vector used to degrade employees who are part of the exact group this is meant to treat “equally” –  “Oh, you must be a diversity hire”. Not hiring the person who is the best and most suited for a job, and instead choosing to create an obviously biased policy (choosing based on gender or skin color) will unavoidably lead to a strong feeling of unfairness.

5 – Open and Common Team Member Feedback Forums

This had been an interesting policy created with the idea of developing an open and honest structure for feedback and improvement – again, an idea to make things more open and transparent in order to be more fair. It is famously being used at Netflix and Bridgewater Associates – two highly successful companies. But for those who are high in their need for esteem, this format can trigger them such that they rebel, perform at reduced levels, or even leave. For these companies and those who follow their ideology a culture of openness is deemed more important than an individual’s brain needs. But make no mistake, this is not a policy of fairness but a policy of excluding those who have different brain triggers. It intentionally creates inequality to a specific end.

What’s the Solution? Focus on Psychological Safety

We need to move away from a superficial focus on fairness and equity, as this often leads to feelings of unfairness. Companies like Netflix and Bridgewater should be transparent about their priorities, openly admitting that they prioritize creating a specific culture over simply striving for equity or fairness.

Ultimately, financial success is the key metric for most companies. If a business prioritizes equity and fairness to the detriment of its profitability, it risks going out of business, which would be unfair to all stakeholders involved. The focus should be on building high-performing teams that drive success.

Research from Googleshows that teams with “psychological SAFETY” perform best. This means managers and teams must understand and respect each other’s brain-based SAFETY triggers.

Implementing this approach can help create a workplace where people feel genuinely valued and understood, ultimately fostering a culture where all brain’ needs are acknowledged and respected – i.e. we build a truly, not superficially fair, culture facilitating individuals on teams to work together as highly efficient and productive teams – which makes everyone win!

Dive into the S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ Model

Based on the latest neuroscience, the SAFETY™ Model describes six domains of threat or reward that are important to the brain.

The S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ Assessment is a validated tool to quantify which of these domains is most (and least) important to your brain in your quest for psychological safety.  The professional report reveals your brain’s S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ profile and preferences to help build self-awareness around what triggers your brain, how it may impact others and how to manage those triggers.

In a team environment sharing team member’s profiles and how they derive their sense of psychological safety, as well as the team’s S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ profile helps to build awareness and appreciation for the diversity of S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ needs on the team, and the practical strategies to nurture needs to foster psychological safety.

For a deeper understanding of the brain-based approach to building Psychological Safety read the book ‘Psychological Safety: The key to happy, high-performing people and teams’.

Linkedin Live REPLAY: Psych Safety for People & Culture Professionals

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About the Academy of Brain-based Leadership

At the Academy of Brain-Based Leadership, we provide tools and workshops to help individuals and teams understand their triggers and manage their psychological safety for improved wellbeing and performance. Contact us to learn more about our workplace solutions.

Or if you’re a Coach, Trainer or People & Culture Professional, discover how to use S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ to drive breakthroughs in engagement, wellbeing and performance with the people you work with by becoming an Accredited S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ Practitioner.