SONDRA’S VIEWS ON UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
Dear Visitor:
You probably wouldn’t be at this web site if you weren’t to some degree confronted with the challenges of unconscious bias.
Perhaps you are facing the impact of unconscious bias on hiring and promotions. Maybe the damage is manifested in relationships with customers or clients or in the inability to retain a diverse workforce that – research firmly shows — enhances your organization’s ability to succeed.
No matter what your specific challenge, you have stumbled into an area that is both fascinating and mysterious and, at times, a little scary.
That fascination along with a desire to relieve the problems that biases create is why I have spent upwards of 25 years working in this area. In the course of that time, I’ve come to six conclusions – let’s call them principles – that shape and inform my presentations and my thinking.
Principle #1: There’s a lot we can do to both manage and defeat unconscious bias. Whereas there was a time when most believed that unconscious bias could not be defeated, extensive research has proven otherwise. (Research Blog #1, Research Blog #2, Research Blog #3)
Principle #2: Having a bias does not make people bad. We all have biases; it’s what we do about them that matters.
Principle #3: There are immediately applicable techniques for becoming aware of many unconscious biases. It’s a matter of alertness and commitment and habit.
Principle #4: Identifying what we have in common is a key strategy for defeating unconscious bias. The idea is to simultaneously value diversity while focusing on what we share.
Principle #5: Another element in the fight against unconscious bias is to encourage respectful and courageous dialogue.
Principle #6: The tools for defeating unconscious bias are tangible and immediately applicable. Yes, unconscious biases may seem mysterious and scary, but the solutions are not.
I’d love to hear your comments and how your point of view compares to mine.
Here’s to defeating unconscious bias,
Sondra T.
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