This document discusses managing unconscious bias in corporate culture. It begins by explaining that unconscious biases are mental shortcuts that influence decisions without full awareness. While sometimes useful, biases can also lead to discrimination and poor decisions.
The document then provides examples of common unconscious biases that can impact sales, marketing, employee engagement, and leadership. It suggests ways to mitigate biases in these areas, such as collecting demographic data, setting diversity targets, and training leaders.
Finally, the document outlines individual and organizational steps that can be taken to manage unconscious bias. At the individual level, it recommends awareness training, tracking one's own behaviors, and taking time for reflection. At the organizational level, it suggests gathering the proper data, setting targets instead
Panel at Carbon Five:
Join us for a panel conversation and open discussion about unconscious bias with Natalie Sue Johnson and Sonya Green. We'll discuss what it is, how it affects our workplaces and how we can learn to prevent it from negatively affecting our interactions with others.
Please bring your curious questions and experiences for sharing!
This is my presentation for my Final Major Project Proposal and Thesis research done examining potential and fun solutions that the tech workplace can adopt to mitigate unconscious bias that is potentially counteracting diversity efforts and negatively impacting the capacity for innovation.
What is bias? How did we develop it? And, most important, what can you do about your own personal bias? Join us for an interactive presentation that will draw upon videos, vignettes, and personal experiences to help you better understand “unconscious bias,” explore how it shows up in your life at work and beyond, and make a specific action plan to counteract your biases.
Research demonstrates that we all harbor unconscious biases. The good news is that enhanced awareness and training can create an inclusive culture that identifies and helps eliminate these hidden biases.For more details
http://www.tatvaleadership.com/htm/unconscious-bias-training.html
What is unconscious bias and why does it exist? We all have hidden biases, so it's important to learn what yours are and how to ensure they aren't affecting your business decisions, as well as what organizations can do to prevent these biases from affecting their ability to innovate and remain competitive!
Key videos in the presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW5s_-Nl3JE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4
Panel at Carbon Five:
Join us for a panel conversation and open discussion about unconscious bias with Natalie Sue Johnson and Sonya Green. We'll discuss what it is, how it affects our workplaces and how we can learn to prevent it from negatively affecting our interactions with others.
Please bring your curious questions and experiences for sharing!
This is my presentation for my Final Major Project Proposal and Thesis research done examining potential and fun solutions that the tech workplace can adopt to mitigate unconscious bias that is potentially counteracting diversity efforts and negatively impacting the capacity for innovation.
What is bias? How did we develop it? And, most important, what can you do about your own personal bias? Join us for an interactive presentation that will draw upon videos, vignettes, and personal experiences to help you better understand “unconscious bias,” explore how it shows up in your life at work and beyond, and make a specific action plan to counteract your biases.
Research demonstrates that we all harbor unconscious biases. The good news is that enhanced awareness and training can create an inclusive culture that identifies and helps eliminate these hidden biases.For more details
http://www.tatvaleadership.com/htm/unconscious-bias-training.html
What is unconscious bias and why does it exist? We all have hidden biases, so it's important to learn what yours are and how to ensure they aren't affecting your business decisions, as well as what organizations can do to prevent these biases from affecting their ability to innovate and remain competitive!
Key videos in the presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW5s_-Nl3JE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4
Presence came together to discuss implicit bias/unconscious bias and how it impacts hiring, retention, and our experiences in the workplace. Lindsay Murdock, Inclusion Strategist discusses why we have bias, history of bias, and actionable items individuals can takeaway to combat their own biases.
Unconscious biases affect our perceptions, decisions, and interactions every day. How do we address biases if we don't know about them? In this talk, you will learn how to recognize and counter the biases that play a part in interviewing, meeting a new team member, and day-to-day interactions. You’ll also see common scenarios and how to address bias as it happens or after the fact. Together, we can make Asynchrony a more diverse and inclusive place to work.
Where an organisation or individual is aware of stereotyping and bias, many effective steps may be taken to correct behaviour.
But what to do when the bias is more subtle or unconscious? These unconscious biases and stereotypes are a major barrier to organisations achieving true inclusion and diversity.
In this webinar Dr Pete Jones, author of Hogrefe Ltd’s unconscious bias testing tool Implicitly, gives an introduction to the topic of unconscious biases and looks at what you can do to address them.
Research demonstrates that we all harbor unconscious biases. The good news is that enhanced awareness and training can create an inclusive culture that identifies and helps eliminate these hidden biases.
This lecture is part of a business law course focused on ethics and leadership. This is the student's first introduction to implicit bias and heuristics.
Did you know that our brains are naturally biased? Let's explore the functions of unconscious bias together and navigate their impact on our decision-making processes. We will examine our own background and identities so we can interact more authentically with colleagues, consumers, and the community at large.
How to recognize and minimize unconscious bias in the workplaceCase IQ
The modern workplace should be an inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees but that isn’t always the case. In fact, systemic inequality is the norm for a vast number of workplaces throughout North America, Europe and beyond. And while the BLM and MeToo movements have received much media attention, the underlying factors that contribute to the inequality they point out aren’t always addressed.
Implicit, or unconscious, bias is the root of many systemic inequities in the workplace. It’s important that we recognize our personal biases, take action to mitigate them and actively serve as an ally to others.
On June 10, join Catherine Mattice-Zundel, president of Civility Partners, a training and consulting firm focused on helping organizations build positive workplace cultures, as she outlines strategies for uncovering and reducing implicit bias in workplace decision-making.
The webinar will cover:
● The origins of bias and four different types of bias
● Risk factors that increase our likelihood to engage in bias
● How to compensate for and attempt to overcome bias through clear and tangible actions
● Strategies to combat microaggressions and other exclusive behaviors using simple, tried and true
intervention methods
Knowing your strengths, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, thoughts, and feelings is a big step towards knowing who you really are.
Self-awareness is the key to preventing the emotional drama that guides your reactions to situations and other people.
What really is "unconscious bias"? It impact our perception of the world and it influences the way we are being seen and interpreted by others. We are influenced by it every single day, with every decision we make. It is rife in the workplace too as our background, work experiences and cultural context, directly impact our decisions, often without us realizing it. In this presentation we explore what the unconscious bias is, how it impacts recruitment processes and what organisations can do to avoid it.
When you meet someone, what are some of your initial assumptions? Do these assumptions impact the way you interact with them? Our brains naturally place people into larger groups or categories. These assumptions are helpful to some, yet harmful to others. In business, subtle biases can become major roadblocks to fair and inclusive diversity practices. We gravitate toward certain types of people, or simply forget to acknowledge others. As women of color, these biases create challenges that may include racial and gender stereotypes that cause our contributions to be ignored or diminished. How do we become examples of fair and inclusive practices? How do we challenge our culture to move toward greater levels of awareness? Studies have shown that men become less bias toward women when they discuss needs and are forced to challenge assumptions. This seminar will challenge your personal biases and address ways to engage in conversations that test faulty thinking and increase cultural awareness.
At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:
a. Define unconscious and subtle bias.
b. Identify personal biases and behaviors that support faulty cultural norms.
c. Explore specific ways that race and gender impact achievement.
d. Discuss communication strategies to encourage productive conversations.
e. Examine behaviors and cultural practices that create diversity challenges.
Presence came together to discuss implicit bias/unconscious bias and how it impacts hiring, retention, and our experiences in the workplace. Lindsay Murdock, Inclusion Strategist discusses why we have bias, history of bias, and actionable items individuals can takeaway to combat their own biases.
Unconscious biases affect our perceptions, decisions, and interactions every day. How do we address biases if we don't know about them? In this talk, you will learn how to recognize and counter the biases that play a part in interviewing, meeting a new team member, and day-to-day interactions. You’ll also see common scenarios and how to address bias as it happens or after the fact. Together, we can make Asynchrony a more diverse and inclusive place to work.
Where an organisation or individual is aware of stereotyping and bias, many effective steps may be taken to correct behaviour.
But what to do when the bias is more subtle or unconscious? These unconscious biases and stereotypes are a major barrier to organisations achieving true inclusion and diversity.
In this webinar Dr Pete Jones, author of Hogrefe Ltd’s unconscious bias testing tool Implicitly, gives an introduction to the topic of unconscious biases and looks at what you can do to address them.
Research demonstrates that we all harbor unconscious biases. The good news is that enhanced awareness and training can create an inclusive culture that identifies and helps eliminate these hidden biases.
This lecture is part of a business law course focused on ethics and leadership. This is the student's first introduction to implicit bias and heuristics.
Did you know that our brains are naturally biased? Let's explore the functions of unconscious bias together and navigate their impact on our decision-making processes. We will examine our own background and identities so we can interact more authentically with colleagues, consumers, and the community at large.
How to recognize and minimize unconscious bias in the workplaceCase IQ
The modern workplace should be an inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees but that isn’t always the case. In fact, systemic inequality is the norm for a vast number of workplaces throughout North America, Europe and beyond. And while the BLM and MeToo movements have received much media attention, the underlying factors that contribute to the inequality they point out aren’t always addressed.
Implicit, or unconscious, bias is the root of many systemic inequities in the workplace. It’s important that we recognize our personal biases, take action to mitigate them and actively serve as an ally to others.
On June 10, join Catherine Mattice-Zundel, president of Civility Partners, a training and consulting firm focused on helping organizations build positive workplace cultures, as she outlines strategies for uncovering and reducing implicit bias in workplace decision-making.
The webinar will cover:
● The origins of bias and four different types of bias
● Risk factors that increase our likelihood to engage in bias
● How to compensate for and attempt to overcome bias through clear and tangible actions
● Strategies to combat microaggressions and other exclusive behaviors using simple, tried and true
intervention methods
Knowing your strengths, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, thoughts, and feelings is a big step towards knowing who you really are.
Self-awareness is the key to preventing the emotional drama that guides your reactions to situations and other people.
What really is "unconscious bias"? It impact our perception of the world and it influences the way we are being seen and interpreted by others. We are influenced by it every single day, with every decision we make. It is rife in the workplace too as our background, work experiences and cultural context, directly impact our decisions, often without us realizing it. In this presentation we explore what the unconscious bias is, how it impacts recruitment processes and what organisations can do to avoid it.
When you meet someone, what are some of your initial assumptions? Do these assumptions impact the way you interact with them? Our brains naturally place people into larger groups or categories. These assumptions are helpful to some, yet harmful to others. In business, subtle biases can become major roadblocks to fair and inclusive diversity practices. We gravitate toward certain types of people, or simply forget to acknowledge others. As women of color, these biases create challenges that may include racial and gender stereotypes that cause our contributions to be ignored or diminished. How do we become examples of fair and inclusive practices? How do we challenge our culture to move toward greater levels of awareness? Studies have shown that men become less bias toward women when they discuss needs and are forced to challenge assumptions. This seminar will challenge your personal biases and address ways to engage in conversations that test faulty thinking and increase cultural awareness.
At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:
a. Define unconscious and subtle bias.
b. Identify personal biases and behaviors that support faulty cultural norms.
c. Explore specific ways that race and gender impact achievement.
d. Discuss communication strategies to encourage productive conversations.
e. Examine behaviors and cultural practices that create diversity challenges.
Addressing Unconscious Bias in Higher EducationJulia Michaels
Providing unconscious bias training to faculty and staff may reduce discrimination and the impact of bias at the university. Although evidence-based training models exist, effective implementation of those models is critical. Some universities have found that mandatory training can incite backlash, while voluntary training is unlikely to reach those who need it most. In addition, not all biases can be addressed at once; separate trainings are needed for racial bias, gender bias, disability bias, etc. During this webinar, experts on unconscious bias training will share evidence from their research, describe effective models, and discuss challenges for implementation. The speakers will also discuss remaining research gaps that limit the applicability of unconscious bias interventions across different contexts (e.g., admissions) and next steps for expanding the use of this promising practice.
Pello Talk on Diversity & Unconscious BiasWeArePello
In addition to helping creative businesses successfully invest in their people to survive and thrive; Pello's goal is to partner with our clients to raise awareness around unconscious bias and its implications on business and people so we can help create a more diverse, successful and sustainable creative industry.
Unconscious Bias at Work - Presentation to Theatre ForumOlwen Dawe
Unconscious Bias at Work - a Presentation to Ireland's Theatre Forum - deals with the neuroscience of unconscious bias, how this translates to implicit association and stereotyping and the impact this has for individuals. This session also discusses the behavioural disruption required to postively challenge our own biases and create workplaces (and artistic programmes) which harness the broadest possible talent pool.
360HR Knowledge Guide - The Science of SelectionDi Pass
HR and recruitment techniques have changed radically over the last decade, with technology advances and social changes bringing about new recruitment tactics and best practices.
360HR has summarised our most recent and on-the-job experience into this handy knowledge guide. You'll find practical ways to improve your recruitment outcomes and sidestep common HR pitfalls.
Discover 12 reasons why your culture is preventing you from being the organisation you want to be, awareness is the first step on the journey to redemption.
Psychoanalysis is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques that deal in part with the unconscious mind, and which together form a method of treatment for mental disorders.
Tactics On Dealing With People Wisely In Network Marketing!Uzzal Hossain
Are you struggling with the fact that you really don't know anything about prospecting?
Have you ever felt uneasy or inarticulate when speaking to a prospect? You recognize the moment of truth is upon you . . .
it's time to recruit this fresh prospect -- but how?
What if I can offer you a solution that will help you to attain greatness, to become a success in your prospecting and realize your potential?
With practice this procedure will be easy. For now, abide by these steps to making headway in conversations with prospects.
The science of influence 2013 - Selling InteractionsAnderson Hirst
A summary of insights to help you to apply science to influence for effective sales meeting. This white paper will provide you with 12 big ideas to stimulate your thoughts about managing customer interactions differently and we provide practical tips on how to apply this in sales in everyday situations.
This guide was prepared for the September 2015 Dpharm Conference in Boston as a catalyst for discussion around disruptive innovation in drug development.
The ideas transfer well to any industry and we invite you to use it next time you are needing fresh thinking.
Why people don't think rationally, Five types of Psychological BiasesBabu Appat
Decision making is an art. Dexterous decision making requires polished skills. Psychological Bias are the common problem makers, which prevents effective decision making. Let us examine what are the common psychological biases and how to overcome these problem makers. Better decisions are required for business success and better life.
wk-3-vid-lec.mp4Week 3 Lecture 1 Problems in Person Percept.docxambersalomon88660
wk-3-vid-lec.mp4
Week 3 Lecture 1 “Problems in Person Perception”
Salutations Class! In our personal and professional lives, we all have perceptions which drive our behaviors. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have both positive and negative perceptions of various things (people, tasks, events). Understanding what’s behind those perceptions will allow you to evaluate, understand, and better appreciate happenings around you.
A perception, academically defined in the text on page 121 by Hitt, Miller, and Colella, is the process of sensing various aspects of a person, task, or event and forming impressions based on selected inputs. Within the slide presentation this week, we reviewed the three stages of perception which included sensing, selecting, and organizing. During this lecture, we’ll focus in on what the text calls “Problems in Person Perception”.
We’ll cover four specific terms and give you a bit more insight into each one. Noted below are each topic, how the Hitt, Miller, and Colella text defines each one on page 125, and some specific examples to help you identify each in practice.
Implicit person theories – defined as “personal theories about what personality traits and abilities occur together and how these attributes are manifested in behavior.” An example of this recently surfaced in the workplace. Here’s the scenario…a leader recently had his door shut for the majority of the day for the last couple of weeks. His secretary senses that his door being closed is a reflection of how he feels about her. In other words, subconsciously believes that physical separation and dislike are coupled together. The problem with this is that the leader had his door shut for very valid reasons. He was coordinating an entangled web with human resources and the legal department to terminate an employee for poor performance. How could this problem in person perception be avoided? What could be done the next time around to prevent this misunderstanding?
Halo effect – defined as “a perception problem in which an individual assesses a person positively or negatively in all situations based on an existing general assessment of the person.” Let’s use the all too popular example of a politician on the national level…how about a longstanding member of Congress who has cheated on his tax returns and is facing tax evasion charges. Many folks would generally see that Senator or Congressman as an all-around bad person regardless of any good that individual has done in his or her community.
Projecting – defined as “a perception problem in which an individual assumes that others share his or her values and beliefs.” For this concept, let’s take the manager who values bonuses in the form of money as a motivational tool. The manager’s employees, however, have varied beliefs. Some prefer money but many prefer paid time off to spend with their respective families. So, as the manager rewards all of his employees with money, it’s hard for .
5 rules for how learning & development can reduce biasBinna Kandola
Reducing bias is a question of motivation, and Learning & Development teams have a critical role to play. If we’re truly willing to recognise the fact we are all biased, there are some straightforward actions that can be implemented in any organisation.
This article, written by Saurabh Gupta, Managing Director, Human Factors International, was published in issue 08 of the Social Technology Quarterly.
Summary: Persuasion, Emotion and Trust take designing
beyond usability to building deeper relationships with customers. They enable brands to understand what triggers customers to respond and make purchase decisions.
INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING AND APPLYING OB Demographi.docxnormanibarber20063
INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING AND APPLYING OB Demographics are a key input that affects important OB processes, most particularly perceptions, which in turn affect the individual-level outcome of well-being/flourishing and the organizational outcomes of being an employer of choice and corporate reputation. Page 111 winning at work PERCEPTION PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN GETTING A JOB A recent survey of 400 humanresource professionals uncovered results that are important to college graduates looking for a job. The overwhelming conclusion? That “entry-level workers are an entitled, unprofessional bunch.” About 45 percent of the HR professionals believed that the work ethic of new college graduates had slipped in the past five years.1 Let’s consider how you can avoid being perceived so negatively. IMPRESSIONS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA The Internet is a gold mine of information for recruiters, and some of it creates a bad impression. Photos of drunken behavior, or rants with foul language or that “bash” your employer, won’t improve a recruiter’s perception. You need to be careful about your online presence because approximately 20 percent of all organizations browse sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter to help screen employees. Consider the experience of Pete Maulik, chief strategy officer at Fahrenheit 212. Maulik was ready to make an offer to an applicant, but first decided to check out the man’s LinkedIn profile—and decided that the applicant was not a team player. “He took credit for everything short of splitting the atom,” Mr. Maulik said. “Everything was ‘I did this.’ He seemed like a lone wolf. He did everything himself.” Maulik recalls another good applicant who used his Twitter account “to disparage just about every new innovation in the marketplace.” Maulik concluded that the applicant “was much more comfortable as the critic than the collaborative creator.”2 This candidate was not hired either. IMPRESSIONS FROM YOUR RÉSUMÉ Typos, gaps in employment, and too much work history can leave negative impressions. Career coach Cheryl Palmer notes that using your employer’s e-mail sends the message to potential employers “that the job seekers will not hesitate to use their equipment for personal use.”3 RECOMMENDED TIPS The following suggestions can help you manage the impression you are sending when applying for a job. Do’s •Adjust your Facebook privacy settings so potential employers can’t see your party photos. •Use Twitter and LinkedIn to play up your professional interests (like posting relevant news articles). •Cross-check your résumé and LinkedIn profile to make sure there aren’t discrepancies. Don’ts •Don’t badmouth a current or former employer, colleague, or company. •Avoid using foul language and making negative remarks. •Don’t post anything that might be perceived as racist, biased, or illegal.4 Note: We cover impression management in more depth in Chapter 12. FOR YOUWHAT’S AHEAD IN THIS CHAPTER We want to help you enhance you.
Similar to Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture Whitepaper (20)
INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING AND APPLYING OB Demographi.docx
Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture Whitepaper
1. Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture / 1
Managing Unconscious
Bias to Strengthen
Corporate Culture
Edward Nelson
Director
Steve Ellis
Executive Director
2. 2 / Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture
A man and his son are driving home one night
when they have a high speed collision with
a telephone pole. Tragically, the man dies
on site, while the son is rushed to hospital
for emergency treatment. As the stretcher
enters the operating studio, the surgeon,
upon seeing the boy, stalls and says, “I cannot
operate, for this boy is my son.” Who is the
surgeon?
Like myself, if you have not heard this before
you may take some time to realise who the
surgeon is. You are not alone, and you may
have fallen foul of the bias of stereotype
categorisation – that a surgeon is a man. And
while you may not identify as sexist, it is likely
that you made an assumption about gender
identity based on limited information, and
you did it unconsciously. As humans, we do
this all the time.
4. 4 / Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture
Can unconscious bias
be managed?
People recognise that the world and the
workplace with it are changing. With change
comes the need to adapt our way of thinking to
address the plethora of current global challenges.
This also means challenging the mental habits,
paradigms and assumptions that have been
successful right up until the 21st century.
As companies vie to keep up with these changes,
it’s important to recognize that many of the
attitudes and behaviours of people involved will
be unconsciously influenced. This can be both
useful and hindering, so understanding this can
be paramount.
Unconscious bias is a catch-all phrase for how
we make decisions that are based on “rules of
thumb” rather than all the facts. There is a fast-
increasing body of knowledge exploring this tricky
human phenomena. Businesses are now keen to
catch-up with the science in order to improve the
experience they provide to both their customers
and employees. From changing the way
businesses hire and hold meetings, through to
how they reach their markets, understanding the
predictable (but not always rationale) choices of
human beings will help improve their customer’s
experience strategy. The potential here is only just
being realised.
“Our irrational behaviours are neither random nor
senseless – they are systematic and predictable.
We all make the same types of mistakes over and
over...”
-- Daniel Ariely – Predictable Irrationality
There are many layers of conscious and
unconscious thinking. We are more unconscious
than conscious. For example, you are probably
not even conscious of your breathing—until I
mention it. We only become conscious of things
through our senses and our attention. However,
we can’t be conscious of all of our senses all of
the time. As we grow up, we filter information
to create mental shortcuts and develop habits
that help us get by. It is these consciously created
“rules of thumb” that once learned, become
unconscious. Like habits, unconscious biases are
hard things to break.
These biases are formed in our brains
unknowingly throughout our lifetime. Some help
us be more efficient or put real “brainpower” to
other tasks. But some of these biases may lead to
workplace discrimination, unhealthy risk aversion,
overinflated confidence, and poor business
decisions. It’s important to understand them in
order to use them effectively, rather than just be
governed by them.
6. 6 / Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture
Understand the situation
The first step to tackling unconscious bias is
to raise awareness in ourselves and call it out
in others. As leaders, we cannot begin to do
anything about it if we refuse to recognise its
existence. We may even be contributing to the
problem.
As Megan Smith, U.S. CTO at Google says: “If
you’re not conscious of the biases that you have,
you’re just not contributing to the level that you
could and you are not innovating to the level
that you could. And so your products won’t be as
good. Your results won’t be as good 1.”
Just as there are hundreds of unconscious
biases, there are as many ways for it to show up
in the workplace. Three common areas where it
has an impact are sales & marketing; employee
engagement; and leadership & decision making.
Overcome bias in sales
& marketing
Three biases are particularly prevalent here:
• Availability cascade (Recency bias). If the
information is easy to recall, then we believe
it is more likely to be true. This is enforced by
repetition as well as by recent events.
• Affinity bias. People like people like
themselves
• Rhyme as reason bias. Emphasis is more
powerful than logic ("no pain, no gain",
for example)
Availability/recency bias: We are bombarded
with more information than we know what
to do with. To make assessments about this
information, we tend to make short cuts. For
example, if I were to ask you how happy you are,
your answer would most likely be influenced by
what comes to mind first. Psychologists have
discovered that people are influenced by things
as random as the kind of images on display in
the background, what questions they were just
asked, or even if they’ve found a small coin2
.
Furthermore, most people were not ever aware
that they had been influenced by these things.
Product placement is a tactic marketers use to tap
into this bias, for example.
Affinity bias: People prefer to say yes to people
they know and like, says author and professor
Robert Cialdini. “Not only do people like people
like themselves, but they find comfort in
identifying commonalities,” he adds. “This is
particularly important in new situations where we
are less at ease.3
”
Most salespeople know this intuitively.
Furthermore, the research suggests that when
strangers find common ground, they have more
successful outcomes at a negotiation. Research
shows that in negotiations when people engage
in a short period of social exchange and identify
common ground, they experience 20 percent less
chance of deadlock 4
.
Rhyme as reason bias: Simply put, the rhyme as
reason effect (or Eaton-Rosen phenomenon) is
a tendency to hear rhyming statements as more
truthful. A famous example was used in the O.J.
Simpson trial when the defence used the phrase,
“If the gloves don’t fit, then you must acquit.” 5
7. Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture / 7
CASE STUDY:
Optimising sales with a better
store experience
As part of a global retail transformation, we worked
with a large telecommunications company to improve
their store accessibility. This was done with both a
physical layout refit, and training that incorporated
practical examples to work with different needs of
customers from ability to communication style. The
programme touched over 55,000 employees and
improved both their customer experience and their
profitability.
Proactively fight bias
to build employee
engagement
Bias, both conscious and unconscious, impacts
the way that organisations attract and engage
their employees in recruitment, retention, and
contribution.
Recruitment: There has been much research
into where stereotype biases have impacted
recruitment, most notably studying how potential
employers respond to CVs with different
names on them. The more “ethnic” a name of
the candidate, the less likely they were to be
contacted, even when all the information on the
CV matched a familiar name.
To mitigate this bias, consider what information
you really need when creating a job posting.
Some less essential information may trigger
unconscious bias, like what school applicants
graduated from or how old they are. Many
organisations and governments now use forms
that separate identity characteristics from
job specification questions. Also, it pays to be
clear about what you want: understand the job
selection criteria for success and repeat out loud
with your co-assessors to mitigate unconscious
prejudices.6
Retention: People can be impacted by the
negative stories attached to stereotypes.
Stereotype threat influences not only hiring but
also performance, appraisals, and feelings of
belonging. These biases can be unconsciously
triggered with visual imagery that reinforces
stereotypes, or by asking people to identify
certain characteristics, like race or age. In addition,
exposure to positive or negative portrayals of
8. 8 / Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture
people of a particular identity will unconsciously
impact the way that people of that identity
perform under pressure. Subjects do not even
have to recall the images they were exposed to
for them to have an impact. Further research has
shown that even background images will affect
people’s behaviour, both toward others7
and
subconsciously on their own ability to perform.
To combat these biases, companies should use
language that highlights inclusion rather than
exclusion, and opportunity rather than limitation.
Contribution: Feelings of inclusion and value also
show up in the way employees contribute and
perform at work. In his book Drive, Dan Pink8
cites
autonomy, or the ability to direct one’s own life,
as an essential ingredient in driving discretionary
effort. If choice isn’t granted in the workplace,
then people will feel less like giving up their time.
Employees want to feel they have control of their
destiny.
Making sure you engage your employees in the
organisation’s purpose and allow them to find
how they can contribute to this can help people,
particularly those under-represented in the
workplace, to feel more included – and help your
company’s bottom line.9
CASE STUDY:
Little things make a big
difference
To thwart unconscious bias, one of our clients
renamed conference rooms to address gender
bias, and changed the images on its corporate
materials to reflect its customer base and drive a
culture of inclusion.
9. Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture / 9
Leaders set the tone of
corporate culture
Leaders have an opportunity, and an obligation,
to consciously shape their businesses and build on
what works by rising above learned and habitual
responses that no longer suit the current state of
play.
Alongside training and branding, there is a lot
leaders can do to set the tone of an organisation.
The first thing is to raise their own awareness.
Greater awareness leads to progress in other key
areas, including:
• Analysis and diagnostics: Committing
resources to collecting data about why
people stay or leave, matching qualitative
and quantitative information.
• Training programmes: Attending and
endorsing culture change programmes at
the very top is key to their success.
• Structural changes: Reimagine recruitment
and retention strategies; performance and
compensation.
• Environment and culture: Setting leaders’
language and actions, values and vision.
It is through environment and culture that leaders
make the biggest contribution to whether the
business successfully addresses its biases. They
do this by both setting the direction of the
business, and also by “walking the talk.”
The biggest challenge any person faces is their
willingness to face uncertainty with an open mind.
Uncertainty usually creates fear and encourages
self-protecting beliefs. This in turn leads us to find
comfort in the familiar—surroundings, people,
or mental habits. We may even be prone to
confirmation bias when under threat to give us a
sense of certainty.
Ironically, it is in uncertainty that most need to
rise above these biases to make new connections
and to reach new understandings. Leaders who
can do this that have really mastered their role.
10. 10 / Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture
CASE STUDY:
Insurance business defeats
bias from the top down
An insurance company wished to attack
unconscious bias in the organisation. Its CEO
recently sponsored a leadership programme for all
leaders. Using various communications including
#hashtags and a call to action, the organisation
is starting to embed conversations addressing
bias through its management to its entire team,
including into yearly reviews. In addition, the
company is setting up measurements and
structures that support any desired culture
change that is essential to success.
12. 12 / Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture
Where to start?
Once you are aware of some of the biases in
your organisation, you can do something about
them. It is one thing to be aware of stereotypes
and biases, but we also have to also take actions.
In fact, some researchers argue that raising
awareness alone simply normalises their bias and
“lets people off the hook.10
Here are steps that you, your organisation, and
your leadership can take to mitigate unconscious
bias at work:
Individual steps
Step 1: Know you’re biased
Raise awareness of your own and your
organisation’s biases. Organisations that believe
they are not biased often make worse decisions
than those that do.11
There are a series of tests, created by Harvard
Business School, available online for free. https://
implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
This will not only increase your own awareness,
but also evidence your commitment to tackling
unconscious bias at work. Be clear with everyone
that raising awareness is only the start. By raising
awareness you are asking for social permission
to implement systems, processes, and tools to
eliminate the risk and lost value of the bias.
ACTION: Follow the above link and undertake
unconscious bias awareness training.
Step 2: Track your behaviour
Record and reflect on your own biases and
behaviour. Keeping a journal about your prejudice
can help bring up patterns and causes in your own
behaviour that may help or hinder your leadership
style. Identifying these can help you prepare to
take different actions through priming, humility,
and curiosity. We are all biased. Being humble and
acknowledging it helps both you and others to
accept it.
ACTION: Record your own instances of bias.
Step 3: Confidence and conflict training
Unconscious bias can highlight a number of the
challenges to working with others, especially
if they are not conscious of their own biases.
Focusing on this obstacle can actually create
a defeatist attitude that highlights many
reasons why things won’t work, thus further
disempowering employees. To effectively work
with other’s bias, it is important to focus on the
positive outcomes and how taking action will
support one’s own personal goals, rather than
what might get in the way. Increasing awareness
of these dynamics can also help people focus
on strategies that have the best chance of
succeeding. Ultimately however, addressing
bias will take some degree of confidence and a
willingness to step into the unknown.
ACTION: Undertake practical confidence and
conflict training and coaching.
13. Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture / 13
Step 4: Take a moment
Instil the behaviour of ‘taking a moment.’
Congratulations! You have just done this by
reading this article. The length of a ‘moment’ can
vary from a couple of seconds to days. The goal
is to challenge and check decisions and reasons
for decisions and actively look for bias. Take a
scientific approach and actively search for the
potential of bias rather than prove the hypothesis
that the decision contains no bias.
ACTION: For key decisions embed ‘Take a
moment’ time breaks and review processes.
Step 5: Appreciate diversity
Inclusivity implies that differences do exist and
necessarily appreciates diversity. Whilst teams
may have alignment of purpose, goals or a vision
they may have differences in strategy or style
in achieving these goals. This can create friction
which can result in behaviour that can undermine
the organisation’s efforts to have everyone adding
value (e.g. aggression or avoidance behaviours
that create a false harmony rather than healthy
conflict).
ACTION: Acknowledge differences beyond
the visible and protected characteristics and
appreciate that they are an essential part of
a thriving team. Seek to identify the positive
aspects of behaviours you don’t understand or
even dislike.
Organisational steps
Step 1: Getting the right data
Collect organisational data that can drive accurate
analysis of the patterns of exclusion and inclusion.
It is the only way to remove denial. Logic says
there should be diversity and inclusion. If there
isn’t inclusion with diversity, then it suggests
there is bias in place.
ACTION: Consult your HR team for the data
they collect on performance trends, as well as
hiring and exit data that includes quantitative
and qualitative measures. Use a network analysis
diagnostic to look at where people do and do not
communicate and share information.
Step 2: Targets vs. quotas
If there was a gap in a business metric of any
other sort, we would proactively set new targets.
It seems logical to do so for the crucial metrics
surrounding people, as well. But be careful. It is
our experience that minority group members
often perceive they are not really valued for their
contribution, even if there is no quota.
ACTION: Set and communicate diversity and
inclusivity targets along with the positive rationale
for them.
14. 14 / Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture
Step 3: Process and disciplines
Not only is awareness alone not enough, but
unconscious bias thrives under pressure. At
work, we make many of our decisions under
pressure, making us more susceptible to “snap
judgements.” So it’s important to instil certain
disciplines and follow processes during situations
where unconscious bias may be present.
ACTION: Review every people process and instil
effective bias governance. Create a series of “If…
Then…” plans 12
. For example: If I have three
candidates, then I will ensure their CVs are viewed
without names.
Step 4: Checklists
Make sure you have a structure or checklist in
each department against which you can check
you outcomes. Add structure to the answers
as well as the questions centric and avoid
reputational disasters.
ACTION: Create product/service checklists
in each department. Start by identifying your
assumptions to help identify what might be left
out.
Step 5: Know your environment
Is there equality of space? What are the cues of
acceptability? Are your meeting rooms named
after men or white people? Are the images
‘male?’ Are social activities varied? What is the
dress code? Are the heroes found in paintings or
pictures diverse?
ACTION: Walk the floor as a customer and review
the symbolism—both intended and unintended,
that create the environment, both for employees
and customers.
Actions for Leaders
Step 1: Use feedback
Unconscious bias is unconscious. Even with
systems and processes we are susceptible to
it especially under time constraints. An open,
honest, feedback culture enables an organisation
to both raise issues and mitigate against unhelpful
bias but also helps the teams remove guilt, shame
or anxiety about their bias.
A feedback culture and feedback mechanics
within decision making scenarios give people the
chance to check selectivity and bias, both yours
and others.
ACTION: Take an anonymous 360 report
requesting assessments of your behaviour.
Step 2: Collective decision making
It’s ok to use your imagination and beliefs to
collaborate on decisions. Ask the question: “What
if?”
ACTION: Use collective tools liked Edward De
Bono’s “6 Hats” to assess your plans.13
Step 3: Use your language to positively prime your
organisation
15. Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture / 15
Shift the recency bias effect by presenting an
equality prime. “We wouldn’t expect to see any
gender differences in these tests/ applications
for promotions.” This often send subtle coded
messages that get decoded by the receiver and
create self-fulfilling placebo prophecies.
Step 4: Use others
Check the language that you use: Would it sound
different if it was being spoken by a man than a
woman—or to a man or a woman?
ACTION: Share your communications with people
who you normally wouldn’t see on a daily basis
and ask for feedback. There are even apps that
can check for you.
Step 5: Lean in collectively
Don’t just lean in. Make sure that the strategy is
scalable rather than leaving it to ‘minorities’ to
assert themselves. Lean in collectively.
ACTION: If you see other’s being excluded, say
something to bring them in or raise awareness.
Step 6: Change both what is true and what should
be true
Recent experiments have illustrated that people
tend to align male characteristics more closely
to leadership characteristics than female ones.
Organisations will need to change the paradigm
of what successful leaders are so that women
can expect to see themselves in senior positions
rather than seeing themselves as being more
‘male-like’ than female like to get the senior role.
ACTION: Redefine and strongly communicate the
definitions of leadership, including all genders.
A final word
The cumulative effect of bias—multiplied over
time and generations reminds me of the grain
of rice on a chessboard story where the number
of grains increases from square to square by
doubling the previous square… By the time you
get to the 64th
square there are millions of grains
of rice. Whereabouts are you on your leadership
board?
16. 16 / Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture
About the Authors
Edward Nelson is a director of leadership and learning at TeleTech Consulting.
EdwardNelson@TeleTech.com. Edward helps groups across sectors create greater
dynamism, innovation, and collaboration to develop insights and increase results.
Steve Ellis is a director of leadership and learning at TeleTech Consulting. SteveEllis@
teletech.com. Steve has led business transformation programmes in a variety of
important areas, such as customer services and sales growth.
About TeleTech
TeleTech is a leading global provider of customer experience, engagement and growth
solutions. Founded in 1982, the Company helps its clients acquire, retain, and grow
profitable customer relationships. Using customer-centric strategy, technology,
processes, and operations, TeleTech partners with business leadership across
marketing, sales, and customer care to design and deliver a simple, more human
customer experience across every interaction channel. Servicing over 80 countries,
TeleTech’s 41,000 employees live by a set of customer-focused values that guide
relationships with clients, their customers, and each other. To learn more about how
TeleTech is bringing humanity to the customer experience, visit TeleTech.com.
17. Managing Unconscious Bias to Strengthen Corporate Culture / 17
1. https://googleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/you-dont-know-what-you-dont-know-
how.html
2. Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, Penguin, 2012
3. Robert Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Harper, 2007
4. Steve Martin, “Influence: Managing Up, Across, & Down” Harvard Business Review
Webinar April 2015
5. Bill Collins in http://www.cognitivebiasparade.com/2014/06/rhyme-as-reason-
effect.html
6. Brian Welle, Director, People Analytics Google: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=nLjFTHTgEVU
7. Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, Penguin 2012
8. Dan Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, 2011
9. Vivian Hunt, Dennis Layton, Sara Prince,“Diversity Matters,” McKinsey & Co, 19
November 2014
10. Duguid, Michelle M &Thomas-Hunt, Melissa C.“Condoning stereotyping? How
awareness of stereotyping prevalence impacts expression of stereotypes.” Journal
of Applied Psychology, Vol 100(2), Mar 2015, 343-359. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/
a0037908
11. Mike Rognlien, Learning & Development Leader, Facebook: https://managingbias.
fb.com/
12. Kathy A. Bobula, This is your brain on bias… or, the neuroscience of bias”, Faculty
Lecture Series - Clark College May 3, 2011; See also David Rock, “Breaking
Workplace Bias at the Source” https://neuroleadership.com/wp-content/
uploads/2015/03/Breaking-Workplace-Bias-at-its-Source_Rock_17Mar15.pdf
13. Edward De Bono, Six Thinking Hats, Penguin 2009