Lateral Conflict or Lateral Violence: Conflict between marginalized groups or people; internal conflict.
Preface: Think about the various forms lateral conflict takes in the following scenarios.
Scenario 1: During a meeting about leadership opportunities, your team learns that a Colleague A, who is Black, was selected for a training program. Colleague B, a Middle Eastern man, comments, "It must be easier for you to get selected because of all the focus on anti-Black racism right now. We don't get those same kinds of opportunities."
Reflection Questions:
How could Colleague B’s comment perpetuate lateral violence?
In what way(s) could Colleague B have responded to instead build allyship?
How might we be active bystanders in this scenario? How could other team members respond to address the comment and also build allyship?
Scenario 2: During a meeting, Staff Member A, who is a woman of colour, is discussing an initiative related to accessibility. Midway through her explanation, Staff Member B, another racialized woman, interrupts and says, "It would be really helpful if someone who deals with a disability speaks to this." Staff Member A appears flustered and stops speaking.
Reflection Questions:
How could Staff Member B have voiced her concerns in a more constructive and inclusive way?
What assumptions are being made in this interaction?
How can other coworkers in this situation help to support Staff Member A and foster allyship?
How can the team ensure that people aren’t pitted against one another based on intersecting oppressions?
Scenario 3: During an intercultural fluency workshop, Team Member A, who is trans, shares his experiences with transphobia in his community. In response, Team Member B, who is a racialized immigrant, says, "It’s not like you’re the only one facing challenges. Do you know how hard it is for me as an immigrant?"
Reflection Questions:
What assumptions are being made in this interaction?
How could Team Member B have responded in a way that instead would build allyship?
How could an organization address this type of lateral conflict structurally?
Scenario 4: A committee is forming to create an internal report on addressing anti-Asian racism. Colleague A, who is a biracial Black and Asian team member, expresses interest in joining. Colleague B, who identifies as East Asian, says, "I think it would be better if someone who’s fully Asian leads this. We need authentic representation."
Reflection Questions:
What are the implications of Colleague B’s comment?
How might Colleague A respond to advocate for herself while maintaining collaboration?
How might we be active bystanders in this situation?
What is “gatekeeping” and why do we do it?
Are there situations where “gatekeeping” is justified? Why or why not? (Hint: power dynamics)
What steps can leadership take to address gatekeeping behaviour and create a more inclusive process?
Scenario 5: Colleague A, a South Asian woman, is an experienced manager who has been with the organization for many years. Despite her work, she has been passed over for promotions several times. She applies for another promotion, but Colleague B, a newer manager who identifies as queer and South Asian, is chosen for the position. Now Colleague B is leading a project in which Colleague A is part of. During a project meeting, Colleague A shares an idea, which Colleague B dismisses by saying, “We’re probably going in a different direction. Let’s try to focus on more innovative tactics.”
During the next meeting, Colleague B proposes a very similar idea to Colleague A’s, taking full credit. At first, Colleague A appears confused, and then dejected.
Reflection Questions:
How and why might Colleague B’s behaviour be harmful?
How could Colleague B have behaved/acted differently to instead build connection and allyship?
Consider power and position: If we change the organizational positions/roles of either two colleagues, how might the conflict change?
What does Colleague A’s overall experience reveal/suggest about the workplace? (Hint: consider the organization as a structure and/or system)
How might we be active bystanders in these scenarios? (You can consider how you would respond in either meeting, or both)