“As we encounter each other, we see our diversity — of background, race, ethnicity, belief – and how we handle that diversity will have much to say about whether we will in the end be able to rise successfully to the great challenges we face today.” ― Dan Smith, The State of the World Atlas***
Using demographic data is a very useful method of improving the accuracy and effectiveness of the work you do and the people you lead. Whether you are providing a service or developing or improving products, using demographic data to help define limits and possibilities or explain trends and morbidities (the rate of sickness or disease in a population) is a must if your intentions are integral and results oriented.
Demographic data is statistical data collected on the characteristics of a population, usually used to research a product and how well it is selling, to whom and where it is most popular; or to analyze a service and how effective it is, with whom, why and how.
Demographic information includes: age, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status, income, education, and employment. Such information can easily and effectively be collected with surveys and questionnaires.
Demographic Data Adds Value to Your Work
There are few things that we are able to predict when it comes to consumers. But by using demographic data, businesses can understand why customers make choices, is it because of where they live, their age, their gender? It may enable them to forecast products in the future and how customers will react to them.
In healthcare, the collection and analysis of demographic data can be used to ensure equitable and more effective treatment outcomes for patients.
Analyzing Demographic Data Gives Greater Insight
In the healthcare arena, government agencies have partnered with healthcare professionals and social service agencies to effectively use and increase the use of demographic data and research to improve the health status of all populations in the U.S. The goal is equity, health equity, which is defined as the “attainment of the highest level of health for all people; with the recognition that achieving health equity requires valuing all people equally with focused and ongoing societal efforts to address avoidable inequalities, historical and contemporary injustices, and the elimination of health and health care disparities.”
Don’t Collect Data and Ignore the Picture it Paints
Clearly healthcare’s use of such information can literally have life and death implications. Other areas may not be life and death but are still of great importance. Analyzing data as a whole is informative but slicing it in demographic pieces provides greater insight and precision into the impact of your work on differing groups. It can also nullify or clarify information that might otherwise be missed.
For example, I was once asked to work with a group of employees who believed they were experiencing trouble with ongoing rudeness, disrespect and lack of input on the basis of race, in their department. If it were the case, the questions would then be, are there specific acts of discrimination? Hostile work environment where behavior is clearly and obviously displayed thus making individuals uncomfortable? After talking to a majority of individuals of “all” races in the department, I learned that there were Asian, White, Latino and African Americans who all felt the same way. But in looking at the demographic information over all, there was a common denominator. The negative actions were being displayed by one or two professional level employees towards employees working in non-degreed positions! Race wasn’t the issue. Ethnicity wasn’t the issue. Gender wasn’t the issue. Education (or perceived education) was an issue! And one might take a leap and say social economic standing was an issue.
To further expound, though there were one or two who might be deemed as rude, it was not a number of perpetrators. It was primarily one person making others’ work lives miserable. But here’s the clincher, the majority of the individuals in the non-degreed job classificatioans were in fact individuals of color. Again, there were individuals within this group who were white, who felt the same offenses. The inappropriate behaviors were most often emanating from a white professional employee who would occasionally serve as a supervisor in the absence of the manager. The manager was usually away from the area and was not around enough to see, let alone, address the issues.
Integrity is What Dictates Demographic Data Analysis
I have found more individuals then not in leadership positions who would prefer to ignore the existence of demographic differences. This is not always due to biases or oppressive behaviors of their own, though for some it is. Some individuals fear having to get involved or they fear having to do more in depth work to resolve the issues. And then there are those who will ignore the need to gather and analyze differences amongst us because… well…because they just don’t care. As long as their work day is smooth and home life untouched, “let’s just ignore it.”
In other words diversity and inclusion are to be avoided rather then addressed for some individuals. But none of these individuals, who choose to look the other way, recognize the lack of leadership, the misappropriation of power and the injustice they become a part of when they choose not to act as a leader should in changing things for the better.
- Leadership requires us to get involved.
- Leadership requires us to find the truth.
- Leadership requires us to share it for the benefit of others.
On the surface of the above example, it appeared that racism and discrimination were the primary reason for derogatory behaviors within a work group, when in fact it was an individual who may or may not have had issues with race but it was a more realistic assessment that this individual had a class issue. When drilling down the demographic realities, it was apparent that race did not dictate how one was treated, it was how the “offender” perceived her educational or socio economic status as being superior to that of others and thus in her mind, gave her free reign in the mistreatment of those individuals. The outcome of the situation might have been very different if surface data were used to evaluate the realities of this work group’s problems.
In leadership, we collect data; not for the benefit of saying we collect data but so that we can use that data to provide better service and better quality to all who need us. We train others to do the same. If we ignore data, hide data or refuse to properly analyze data then we need to question our motives in leadership. Remember, the primary purpose of a leader:
1. Leaders influence others
2. Leaders motivate others to act
3. Leaders rally others towards a common goal or vision
If we hide or ignore real data who are we influencing, who are we motivating and who are we rallying toward a common vision?
Closing Thoughts
If your team is engaged in gathering data but cannot attest to how that data is being used to benefit others, then you have work to do.
-
Gather the data
-
Analyze the data
-
Use the data
-
Share your findings from the data
Best Regards!
C.