LibraryScenariosWhen your board claims impartiality but protects existing advantages
Scenario

When your board claims impartiality but protects existing advantages

Our nonprofit board is using the veil of ignorance to redesign our grant allocation process, but the members who currently benefit from our existing criteria keep finding ways to protect their advantages while claiming they're being impartial. I can see what's happening but calling it out directly feels like it would blow up the whole collaboration.

Juana
Online
The coach is replying

More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

People invoke fairness principles while unconsciously preserving their own positions of benefit.

Ideas that help explain it
Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with Rawlsian justice — the thought experiment?”

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.