What do we overlook when we talk about collaboration?
Updated: Oct 14
9 impulses to look and change. For teams that want to strengthen their collaboration and promote equal opportunities in everyday work.
For me, good collaboration also means looking together at where things get uncomfortable: How is power distributed in our team? What forms of discrimination might we be overlooking? And what can we change so that everyone has the same opportunities? We shouldn't wait until something has gone wrong to address these issues.
How naturally can everyone on your team contribute? Whose perspectives are heard? Whose knowledge is considered competent and relevant? Who is given responsibility and development opportunities – and who has to earn their place? How confident are we in our actions when discriminatory remarks, actions, or dynamics occur? And how do we deal with it when we perceive situations differently or are uncertain?
These questions are particularly relevant to me right now. Over the next few weeks, I'll be supporting two teams in different companies and cultural contexts as they grapple with equal opportunities and discrimination. As I prepare for these processes, I realize: I, too, must continually ask myself these questions.
I grew up in Switzerland with Indian parents and have moved between different cultural reference points since childhood. What do belonging and equal opportunities mean to me? When do I naturally feel like part of a group – and when do I feel like I have to prove myself? What ideas and prejudices have I internalized? And how do my experiences influence what I perceive in others and how I judge situations?
I take these questions with me into my work as a facilitator. My experiences help me to recognize certain dynamics. At the same time, I know that they don't speak for everyone who experiences racism. I, too, have blind spots and preconceived notions about what is considered professional or what good collaboration should look like.
I don't observe such processes from a neutral position. I am myself part of the social conditions that we are jointly examining. For me, this includes remaining curious – and also taking seriously feedback that challenges my own perspective.
This is something I also think about when I consider psychological safety. We often discuss how important it is for people to express their opinions, ask questions, and admit mistakes. But for whom is that actually possible? Who can disagree without being seen as difficult or not a team player? And who takes a greater risk when something uncomfortable is addressed? Who determines what is considered competent or professional? And whose knowledge is taken less seriously? For whom are we creating safety – and what do we need to change so that it doesn't depend on how well someone fits into existing norms?
I don't have definitive answers to that. But I believe that together we can develop better questions and constructive discussions.
These considerations have resulted in nine key ideas. They are intended to encourage teams to view their collaboration from different perspectives, to question assumptions, and to find concrete starting points for change.
Sidenote: Why it's worth taking a look at everyday work life
Racism is a form of discrimination that also plays a role in everyday working life in Switzerland. In the 2024 Swiss survey "Living Together in Switzerland," 43% of people who had experienced racist discrimination cited their workplace as the setting for these experiences.
A survey conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights among nearly 6,800 people of African origin in 13 EU member states also shows how widespread racist discrimination in the workplace is: 31% reported experiencing such discrimination within the five years prior to the survey.
The figures capture racism, not discrimination in all its forms. But they clearly illustrate why we should also take a closer look at our daily work routines, decision-making processes, and how we treat each other.
Sources: Swiss Agency for Combating Racism, 2024 ; European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Being Black in the EU , 2023 .
The following nine ideas invite us to reflect together on our day-to-day working lives, to question what we take for granted, and to discover practical ways of promoting greater equality of opportunity in our working relationships. They do not provide ready-made answers, but rather raise questions that can spark discussions and pave the way for change.
1. Does performance really count?
I understand the idea that ultimately, performance should be what counts. But how do we actually assess performance? And who even gets the opportunity to demonstrate it? And what role do familiarity, demeanor, or our preconceived notions of competence play?
Those who are given interesting tasks, involved in decisions, and receive support can gain experience and become visible. Those who are considered less often find it harder to demonstrate their abilities.
Reflection questions:
Who gets exciting tasks and development opportunities with us – and who gets less.
Whom do we trust highly? Whom are we more skeptical of?
What influences our assessment of performance and potential – besides actual performance?
2. Recognizing discrimination: What do we perceive – and what do we overlook?
Not every situation can be clearly categorized. I, too, am often unsure: Was a remark discriminatory? Is unequal treatment objectively justified? Or do different experiences lead to different assessments?
In cases of racism and discrimination, discussions often focus on a person's intentions. However, if we concentrate solely on intent, we may overlook the impact and the experiences of the affected individual.
For change to happen, we must be able to tolerate ambiguity – that is, uncertainty and multiple interpretations – without jumping to conclusions. This includes asking questions, listening, and examining our own assessments. Otherwise, inequalities will persist. This is also reflected in the opportunities people receive in our workplaces and through our services – and those who are denied them.
Reflection questions:
What is considered normal for us, but might exclude others.
Whose experiences of discrimination do we take seriously? Whose experiences do we tend to doubt?
What might we be overlooking because we are not personally affected?
3. Being able to address issues: What happens when someone points out injustice?
Noticing something is one thing. Addressing it can be considerably more difficult. Perhaps the right words are missing. Perhaps there's the fear of unfairly criticizing someone, triggering a difficult dynamic, or not being taken seriously oneself. Sometimes, the decisive factor is the experience that feedback has little effect.
Therefore, I don't just want to ask why someone didn't address something. I'm equally interested in what conditions we can create together so that people can speak out without having to face the consequences alone.
Reflection questions:
What might prevent someone from addressing discrimination with us?
How do we react when feedback is unpleasant for us?
What are we doing to ensure that people are not left alone with their feedback?
4. Psychological safety: Can we contradict each other?
As a facilitator, I want to create spaces where people can contribute different perspectives, talk about mistakes, and allow for disagreement and uncertainty . At the same time, I ask myself how I can tell if a space is truly safe enough for that.
A conversation may appear open, while some individuals still hold back – perhaps because they fear being seen as difficult, or have already experienced their contributions receiving less weight.
And I have to ask myself: As a facilitator, do I actually give space to different voices? Or do I also hear some people faster because their way of speaking is more familiar to me?
Reflection questions:
Can we openly disagree and admit mistakes without fear of repercussions?
Whose contributions are heard – and whose are largely ignored?
Do people who have less power or influence in our society also feel safe?
5. Take differing perceptions seriously: Do we have to agree?
Especially when it comes to racism and discrimination, opinions can differ. One person might find a remark hurtful, while another considers it harmless. Such differences can lead to defensiveness and justification – or they can become the starting point of an important learning process.
At least in theory :-). Because I still don't find it easy to tolerate differing opinions – especially when a situation calls my own intention or self-image into question.
For me, listening doesn't mean I have to adopt every point of view. It means remaining curious and empathetic, and trying to understand another person's experience instead of immediately reacting to it.
Reflection questions:
What happens when one person experiences a situation as discriminatory and another does not?
Can we take the effect of an action seriously, even if it wasn't intended that way?
How do we keep the conversation going when we have different opinions on a situation?
Differing perceptions don't need to be resolved immediately. Sometimes the first important step is to tolerate the differences, ask questions, and strive for a more precise understanding.
6. Strengthening our ability to act: What can we change?
I understand the uncertainty that can arise when you want to react in a difficult situation and don't know exactly how. What should I say? Is it better to intervene directly, ask a question, or offer support to the person affected first?
I don't believe we always have to find the right words spontaneously. The ability to act also arises from considering together what is possible, trying out different reactions, and supporting each other.
Reflection questions:
How do we react as a team when someone is belittled or excluded?
What would help us to act in such situations?
Who bears which responsibility – individuals, the team, and management?
7. Mistakes and learning: How do we deal with our own contribution?
This point is particularly important to me. Anyone who grapples with racism and equal opportunities cannot assume that they themselves are free from prejudice or blind spots.
Even I, as a racialized person, will assess situations differently, overlook something, or possibly ask a question that isn't helpful. My good intentions are not automatically enough.
I'm therefore interested in how I deal with feedback that is unpleasant. Can I listen without immediately becoming defensive? Can I acknowledge that my action had a different effect than I intended?
Reflection questions:
How do we react when someone points out a discriminatory statement to us?
Can we acknowledge that we have hurt someone, even if we didn't intend to?
How do we prevent the same people from always having to explain discrimination and initiate change?
8. Identify strengths: What are we already successful at?
Discussions about equal opportunities often focus on difficulties and shortcomings. It is equally important to recognize what we are already achieving.
Perhaps the team has established open communication routines, transparent decision-making processes, or members who consciously incorporate diverse perspectives. Such experiences can be valuable resources for further development.
Reflection questions:
When will we succeed in incorporating different perspectives and making fair decisions?
What are we doing to ensure everyone has access to information and development opportunities?
Which of these aspects do we want to retain or strengthen?
9. From reflection to change: What should be different in the future?
While preparing these questions, I also ask myself what I will personally gain from the discussion. Which assumptions do I want to examine? Where do I want to listen more closely? And how can I ensure that something actually comes of a good reflection?
Perhaps your team is looking to restructure meetings, distribute tasks more transparently, or agree on clear ways to deal with discrimination.
Not every change has to be big. But it should be concrete enough that you can later check together whether anything has changed.
Questions for you:
What insight from your reflection would you not want to simply forget?
What specific habit, rule, or procedure do you want to change?
Who will take responsibility, and how will you know that things have actually improved?
Some issues you can tackle yourselves as a team. Others you need to bring to the attention of management or the organization. For me, this is also part of honest reflection: recognizing where your options for action lie and where you need to demand structural changes.
A shared learning process
The longer I work on the issue of equal opportunities, the less interested I am in the idea of eventually having all the right answers. What's far more important to me is how we deal with the questions we don't yet have answers to.
For me, this also means constantly questioning my role as a facilitator. I want to design processes in which different perspectives become visible, without assuming that I myself am outside the dynamics we are examining. I want to provide guidance and at the same time remain open to what I still need to learn.
Perhaps this is exactly a good starting point for teams: not the expectation of already doing everything right, but the willingness to take a closer look together and to take responsibility for changes.
The nine prompts are not a checklist. You don't have to answer all the questions, nor do you have to reach a shared assessment on every question.
A small invitation
For your next team meeting, choose two questions: one that helps you better understand your collaboration, and one that can lead to a concrete next step.
Take your time to consider the answers. Listen to each other. And agree on something you can actually try out in the coming weeks.
I will also incorporate these questions into my own work. For me, equal opportunities are not something I can simply explain to others. They are a shared learning process – one in which I guide others and continue to learn myself.
