The world would be a boring place if all people were the same. In fact, our diversity makes human existence much more compelling and interesting. And as anyone who works in international development can attest to, our differences have the potential to not only enrich and broaden our understanding of humankind, but also to provide us with insights into our own lives and the roles we play in the world.
Those who work on the ground for our organization experience this diversity every day through our international development projects around the globe. In the regions we serve, our team members often work with populations far different from themselves. In some cases, we may work in countries or regions where people are culturally and ethnically homogeneous. But we also often work in areas where people of differing cultures and ethnicities coexist and work together — sometimes in seeming harmony, and other times, perhaps grudgingly. In some areas, cultural or ethnic antipathy may be strong, centuries old and deep-seated. In other areas, it may persist as a subliminal, but still harmful, remnant of past prejudices.
While we may have seen levels of explicit, distinct and outright prejudice declining over the years here at home, overall discrimination continues to persist in certain workforce sectors and areas of the world as a result of unconscious bias.
Understanding Unconscious Bias
As the name implies, unconscious bias is simply a bias of which we are unaware, and that tends to occur automatically when we make quick, snap judgments and assessments of people and situations based solely on our own individual background, cultural environment and personal experiences. Such judgments are neither fact-based, nor do they have anything to do with the actual capabilities of the individual being judged.
Realistically speaking, we all are subject to some level of bias when unconscious thoughts — in the shape of preconceived notions, stereotypes and prejudices that we don’t even recognize or realize we have — seep into our decision making. These are commonly known as “covert” or “hidden” biases.
Overcoming Unconscious Bias
In order to eliminate unconscious bias, we first must recognize it and take action to tackle it.
We can do so by making a conscious effort to become more aware of how biases can influence our own decision making. One way to help identify and understand our own biases is to take an Implicit Association Test (IAT), a test sponsored by Harvard University through Project Implicit. The IAT is one of my favorite tools for helping to uncover our covert or hidden biases and provide greater self-awareness that can benefit each of us in both our professional and personal lives.
Organizations can address bias in the workplace by implementing informed and measurable approaches to counteract it, such as adopting policies and practices that ensure recruitment and selection panels are truly diverse and inclusive. They can institute standardized evaluation criteria and matrices, and provide and promote unconscious bias training workshops coupled with open, honest and frank discussions led from the top down.
Extinguishing unconscious bias is more than just a moral and noble cause. It is an indispensable part of any organization’s effort to remain competitive, cultivate cultural awareness and ultimately become the employer of choice. I now challenge you to take a step in the right direction and to shift the paradigm of unconscious bias.
