Why are some companies so productive, profitable and able to win tremendous loyalty from their customers while others struggle? It may come down to one seemingly soft skill: empathy. In fact, if you talk to workplace psychologist Rachana Bhide, she has evidence that empathy in the corporate environment, particularly in technology, is anything but soft. It gets results.
For two decades, Bhide has used her research into the subject of empathy to drive corporate success. She cut her teeth as an analyst at Gartner; propelled innovation at Accenture, a multinational professional services and Fortune Global 500 company; and worked with more than 5,000 software engineers at media goliath Bloomberg.
“In technology, there is such an opportunity to leverage empathy skills,” she said. “It’s why Steve Jobs was a master at creating things people didn’t know they wanted in a non-manipulative, natural way.”
Right now, Bhide is particularly energized after Joe Biden’s electoral win, particularly because Kamala Harris is vice president-elect.
“They are the ultimate Corner of the Court (Bhide’s research on male allies for women) example,” she said. “Kamala Harris’ vice presidential victory has, in a way, helped me see why I’ve been so passionate about us women elevating examples of men as allies. And, to be able to reflect on Harris’ inspiring result with my father has been such a gift of this election.”
Bhide believes that it really matters that Harris has been picked for the top post.
“Kamala Harris’s election could very well shape how we think about feminism from this point forward,” she said. “We’ve spent a lot of time in 2020, in particular, bringing white women together with women of color to bridge divides in traditional feminism. Harris is not only an incredible role model, her VP election offers us a new paradigm in which to think about feminism and the oft-overlooked contributions of women of color.”
At 41, Bhide lived in Europe for several years, studied fashion from Vogue, embraced broadcasting and speaking roles, and enjoyed the opportunity to keynote at Women of Silicon Valley 2019 and the European Women in Technology conference. She has interviewed dozens of the most influential political and business leaders on global stages. Perhaps most importantly, through her work, she has shaped employee culture and innovation at enterprises where shareholders demand answers and individual needs can easily be overlooked.
Quiet Beginnings
Bhide was born in Northern Virginia to Indian immigrants who came to America in the mid-1970s from Maharashtra. Bhide describes an “All-American” childhood, even with Indian culture and language embraced at home.
Her father an architect, her mother a student of chemistry, Bhide’s intellectual curiosity was nurtured from her early years. Her father’s work lit the flame of empathy at a young age. As an architect, Bhide’s father remained curious about the best answers in design, the ones that spoke directly to the user’s needs or the environment at large. He designed the first solar-powered elementary school on the East Coast during the 1970s energy crisis.
His perspective influenced Bhide’s own use of the term “design thinking” when she talks about empathy. It is not enough to know what the customer says, she often cautions. You need to understand his or her unspoken motivations and feelings as well.
“My father encouraged a lot of wonder around urban spaces and design. With design thinking, you have the freedom of an anthropologist to look at and listen to what people are saying – and not saying,” she said.
Empathy and curiosity about other human experiences was further encouraged from watching Sesame Street as a child.
“I grew up in the 80s, and the creativity and diversity built into that show was incredible. I grew up believing New York City was a place for dreams, learning and community,” Bhide said.
This spirit of urban community is precisely what drew Bhide to New York City after years abroad.
Beyond the Board Room
Bhide returned to New York from Europe in 2014, and promptly began a master’s degree in organizational psychology at Columbia University while also working at Bloomberg. Drawing from her master’s thesis, Bhide initiated a website named The Corner of the Court.
That tennis metaphor name was inspired by a personal story from her childhood, in which she challenged, and beat, a boy who she had a crush on in a tennis match. The mixed feelings of that experience inspired the site’s goal: not to be adversarial, but instead summon stories from successful women who had positive male allies on their journey. It would also allow Bhide to further research ways men could exercise their emotional intelligence to be good leaders.
“So much about researching men’s impact for The Corner of the Court was the result of having close relationships with my dad and brother,” she said. “Those relationships are what shape us and they’re what we take into the workplace.”
The Corner of the Court’s unique approach to sharing positive stories of men and women steadily gained international acclaim. Bhide has featured the voices of women around the world, partnered with a women’s organization in India, and has spoken about her work with brands like Google, LinkedIn and the LA Galaxy Major League soccer team.
Today, with the COVID-19 pandemic posing many challenges to working women and men, Bhide is anticipating new examples will emerge that highlight the power of gender partnership.
Perhaps the most critical time for empathy in her field is indeed now. Bhide’s goal is to do more speaking when live events get back on track. Amid the pandemic, she’s working on a new project: “Fonty Tales,” the cartoon adventures of an elephant who makes his way to New York to fulfill his dream of becoming a window washer.
The deliberate choice of characters in “Fonty Tales” is to celebrate both the city’s diversity, and the stories are intended to be “a spark for thoughtful discussions in both workplaces and schools” about resilience, optimism and hope. Eventually, Bhide hopes Fonty himself can become a global symbol for elephant activism, a cause inspired by a 2019 trip to South Africa.
“So much of what I learned and taught in the workplace about collaboration, empathy, teamwork, it’s now showing up in different ways,” Bhide said. “But in 2020, it feels like a new skill for me. All of us are wearing new identities, likely blending our work and home. When my dad and I talk on the phone about my writing, or an idea he had, I feel like I’m getting to create in a totally new way. In a way, it’s like being truly at home again.”
For another trailblazer in STEM, check out Charisma Glassman
