{"id":9922,"date":"2014-07-16T14:30:55","date_gmt":"2014-07-16T19:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/unconscious-bias\/"},"modified":"2024-04-02T12:11:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T17:11:56","slug":"unconscious-bias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/unconscious-bias\/","title":{"rendered":"Unconscious Bias"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prejudice and discrimination are detrimental to the success of any organization. Yet research from the Kirwan Institute and others demonstrates that we all harbor prejudices; at a minimum, everyone is subject to their own unconscious bias. Unconscious bias is the result of messages (from a wide array of sources) introduced into our subconscious from an early age. Many of these prejudices that are deeply held in our unconscious can unconsciously influence how we act toward one another in our organizations.<\/p>\n

Since many of these prejudices exist beyond the conscious level and are a result of being brought up in a culture that harbors biases, we first must acknowledge that they, in fact, exist. You do not have to be racist or sexist to implicitly support racism or sexism. These unconscious biases are not restricted to any one group, and they differ significantly from open and legislated forms of prejudice and discrimination such as usage of a derogatory name.<\/p>\n

Multiple studies have shown that resumes with names that are related to under-represented groups are less likely to be invited for an interview as identical resumes with \u201cdominant\u201d group names. So, for example, in the U.S., a resume submitted with the name, \u201cLeroy,\u201d is less likely to result in a job interview than a resume submitted by \u201cJonathan.\u201d In the UK, \u201cAli\u201d is less welcome than \u201cEdward.\u201d Resumes submitted by \u201cJennifer\u201d also received fewer requests than \u201cJohn.\u201d In meetings, opinions expressed by women are taken less seriously than the same opinions expressed by men of the same status. Doctors are less likely to order medical tests for people of color, etc. One of the paradoxes of such unconscious biases is that those who are discriminated against also are likely to discriminate against their own kind, since they have been brought up with the same prejudices as everyone else in the society.<\/p>\n

The implications of unconscious bias are that the best and brightest talent often is made to feel unwelcome, invisible, and not important to the success of the organization. This results in employees who are detached and likely to take their talents elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The good news is that, while no one is immune to their own unconscious bias, through enhanced awareness and training, these prejudices can be changed. Organizations are slowly recognizing that they must provide training on unconscious bias to create a more inclusive culture. However, it\u2019s not uncommon for companies to inadvertently go down the wrong path. There are some positive training considerations that can improve the likelihood of a training initiative\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

WHAT CAN YOUR ORGANIZATION DO?<\/strong><\/p>\n