{"id":305,"date":"2018-08-06T13:29:45","date_gmt":"2018-08-06T13:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/i2aa.com\/?p=305"},"modified":"2019-06-18T15:31:46","modified_gmt":"2019-06-18T15:31:46","slug":"unconscious-bias-three-simple-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i2aa.com\/unconscious-bias-three-simple-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Your Mind Around Unconscious Bias: Three Simple Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Which of these apples would taste best?<\/strong> Concerns about unconscious bias in the workplace are not new, but have received a lot of media attention lately due Starbucks\u2019 decision to close for an entire day to provide training to all staff. It is important to be talking about ethnic, gender, even age bias in the workplace, but we should not expect to \u201ctrain away\u201d something that is an inherent part of being human.<\/p>\n

When I work with executives and their teams on managing unconscious bias, my goal is to provide strategies to help recognize – and therefore avoid acting on – unconscious bias. Quite literally, the goal is give our brains the opportunity to form conscious thought that serves to check our unconscious biases. As the term \u201cunconscious bias\u201d indicates, no matter how well intentioned we may be, we are not aware of the filters we use to sort all the incoming information and the subsequent judgments we are forming. So how do we address work with judgments that we are not conscious of having?<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s understand what we mean by \u201cunconscious bias\u201d.<\/strong> Put simply, it refers to that set of mental associations that are formed in a mere nanosecond. These associations work like cognitive filters that are helpful from an evolutionary standpoint to sort the myriad of stimuli that come at us from all directions and enable us to function efficiently. But as they are not conscious, they are not open to easy introspection.<\/p>\n

Second, it is helpful to understand how our unconscious bias is formed.<\/strong> Our cognitive filters are based on our experience from the moment we are born \u2013 what we learn about our world directly and indirectly. Factors such as where we grew up, cultural norms of our parents, travel, and even our childhood friends can all influence these filters. Most of us recognize that much of our experience is greatly shaped by our personal culture, but often we do not see it as “culture” because it is simply our reality.<\/p>\n

The unconscious is very powerful. Scientific studies demonstrate:<\/strong><\/p>\n