Your bias determines the outcome.
What if this is true?
What if you’re in a leadership role in an organization and you hire people thinking you hired them based on merit and skill alone?
In the year 2012, a Jenifer’s CV was discarded for the role of a lab technician while a John’s CV was okay’d, though both the resumes were exactly alike in terms of qualification and experience. Why? This perception that a man has a more logical mind or the skill to be in a technician’s positions is an unconscious bias. The perception that a name ending with a Khan or Granger or Abidi would be a misfit in your organization is an unconscious bias. This phenomenon happens more and more because of a lack of diversity within an organization. It is a vicious loop and quite detrimental; the few diverse people that you may have in your organization may not be themselves because of the fear of sticking out. They may not dress the way they want to, they may not speak freely to express ideas that can catapult your business to new heights.
Unconscious bias refers to a type of bias that happens automatically without us being aware of its presence. It’s triggered by our brain and causes us to make quick judgments and assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences.
Imagine the scale of unequal distribution of power, resources and information that we may be perpetuating by being biased (unconsciously) in hiring, mentoring and promoting our employees. Unconscious Bias is reflected in our prejudices and stereotypes and further deepens with years of socialization. The training programs do make the learners aware and expose them to their biases but also have the risk of increasing their frustration and defensiveness. Not only does it take a sensitive facilitator to moderate these programs but it’s also imperative for leaders to get to the root of this frustration if they are true promoters of diversity and inclusion.
Recognizing and naming these emotions is important. At the root of these emotions is fear. This includes fear of losing power, fear of backlash if status quo is changed, and fear of unknown. The dominant groups are happy with the status quo, why would they want to lose power?
The leaders need to acknowledge and accept these emotions and then take corrective action. Actions that are aligned with organizational values, that foster transparency and accountability among all employees. The first steps start with changing our behaviour for e.g. being mindful of jokes targeted at certain groups such as gender, cultures, people with disability etc. But it’s more than that, it calls for a holistic shift in our thinking if we are to achieve diversity and inclusion. A systemic approach rather than a band aid is needed to build a diverse and inclusive culture within an organization. A systemic approach looks at processes, policies and structures that will facilitate diversity and inclusion.
This TED talk is an invitation to become aware, identify and then mitigate these biases. Yassmin Abdel-Magied challenges us to look beyond our initial perceptions, and to open doors to new ways of supporting others.