Uncovering Your Unconscious Bias

 

Inclusivity and diversity have become buzzwords over the last couple of years but they shouldn’t be seen as just cultural trends. Ensuring a range of talents from all walks of life in the workplace has been proven to create a more innovative environment as it taps into different experiences, expertise and skills. So why has inclusivity been so hard to achieve despite its positive effects? Biases.

Humans are naturally biassed beings where we assume competency levels of others based on factors like their gender, race and educational qualifications. All of us have been biassed at one point in time but sometimes, we may not even be aware of them. This is called the unconscious bias, where we have subconscious ideas that affect how we feel and think about others.

Even though it is unconscious and not deliberately acted upon, it can be detrimental to the psychological safety of the workplace. If you as a leader unconsciously give more opportunities to some members of your team and not the others, it could cause conflict and unhappiness within the team. As leaders, it’s important to first identify and acknowledge your unconscious bias so you can ensure inclusion in the workplace to create high performing teams. 

Ways bias plays out in the workplace

There are a few distinct ways that bias can be seen in the workplace.

1. Prove it again

This occurs when certain groups of people have to work harder than others to prove their worth because they have different backgrounds or identities.

2. Tightrope

The tightrope bias is seen when some behaviours are accepted and even praised in certain groups but not in others. For example, women may behave in a masculine way to be respected. However, women are expected to be feminine and friendly and may even experience backlash for their masculine behaviours.

3. Maternal Wall

This bias happens when pregnant women or women with children are assumed to be less dedicated or committed to their job. On the flip side, career-focused mothers can also be shamed for not spending time with their children.

4. Tug-of-war

This occurs when groups of marginalised people pit themselves against each other to assimilate into an environment that is biassed against them

“Diversity drives innovation - when we limit who can contribute, we in turn limit what problems we can solve” ~ Telle Whitney

How to recognise and interrupt biases as a leader

Many leaders may have the vision to create a team based on equality but they may not even realise their unconscious biases to build this inclusive reality. The first step to personal excellence is looking within and acknowledging your flaws. Only then will you learn from them and impart new ways and learning tips to your team. You can develop leadership skills by recognising and interrupting your biases and these are some tips to help you on your journey.

Acknowledge your biases and improve yourself

To identify their biases, leaders should start with some self-reflection to become more aware of their thoughts and beliefs. Is the way you think based on assumptions? For more insight and clarity, you can ask yourself these questions:

●     What are some values that I strongly believe in? Do these values narrow my perception of others?

●     How do I behave to people of different cultural or social backgrounds? Do I hold any stereotypes about them?

●     Are my words and actions a reflection of my intentions?

●     Do I try to empathise with others or do I ignore their situation because I personally don’t relate to it?

These questions may make you realise how your perception of others is warped based on unconscious biases. Realising you have an unconscious bias is not something to be ashamed of. Knowing, but not working on it is. As long as you acknowledge and improve yourself, you’re already taking a step to becoming a better leader and reaching your optimal performance.

Allow others to challenge your assumptions

Leaders sometimes assume that they know better than any other member on their team but that may not be the case especially when it comes to unconscious bias. The challenge with unconscious biases is that we are so unaware that we have them so how do we interrupt them in the first place? Yes, you allow the people around you to challenge them.

So when a member of your team airs their concerns and grievances about your biassed behaviours, don’t immediately go into defence mode. We need others to call out our biases because they have been ingrained in us for years without us even knowing. Instead of reacting negatively, be more curious and ask questions to learn about these biases. Assure your team that you are committed to growing and reflect on how you can change your behaviours.

Welcome feedback

Everyone loves a little bit of validation but as leaders, you also have the responsibility of creating a safe environment for your team. The best way to improve yourself is to ask for critical feedback from different groups of people that come from all walks of life. People with varying backgrounds may perceive you differently. You tend to learn more when you have others challenge your opinions because you begin to perceive things from different angles instead of your narrow one. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with your team - they will appreciate a leader that is willing to improve themselves. Respectfully ask your team if there is any room for improvement in your leadership style. Hold yourself accountable for your biases and work on them diligently.

Build relationships with diverse people

Staying in a bubble won’t allow you to learn from others. If you only have friendships with people who are similar to you, you don’t allow yourself to broaden your perspective. A way to develop leadership skills is to engage in relationships with diverse people that allow you to have insightful discussions that may even illuminate your biases. A good place to start is in your workplace itself. Have coffee with your team members of varying groups and learn about their different backgrounds. Alternatively, community groups on LinkedIn can also help broaden your network.

INSIDER INFO: the flowprofiler® measures 4 assessments: emotional intelligence, social intelligence, resilience and motivation. The portfolio helps leaders identify their weaknesses in the workplace and improve collaboration and mindfulness when interacting with their team.

How to overcome biases in the workplace

Interrupting your personal biases is a great step forward but leaders should use those learning lessons for their professional development within their team. Biases can bubble up during the hiring process, meetings and allocation of projects. A research study conducted by Jaluch showed that gay and lesbian job seekers are 5% less likely to get an interview and 80% of employers accept making decisions based on regional accents.

Favouring one group over others can hurt team spirit, affect the psychological safety of the workplace and create an overall toxic environment. To work towards becoming a better leader and building high performing teams, start with these valuable tips.

Define core values and skills during the interview process

Unfortunately, recruits may sometimes choose a candidate that shares the same background as them over one that doesn’t. Leaders can fight the bias during a hiring process by specifying qualifications and qualities that would be beneficial to the job scope. Skill-based questions should also be included for all candidates to give them an even playing field. Recruiters should rate an answer immediately so they can be fairly compared to other answers without external biases shadowing a candidate. The recruitment process should be focused on the skills and values that a candidate can bring to the table instead of their background or identity.

Diversify responsibility for high-value projects

When assigning bigger projects to your team, some leaders may choose to give them to the same group of people. Even though it’s human nature to stick with what we’re comfortable with, this also stops others from having the same opportunities. A lot of the time, there are other members on your team that are more qualified but the bias you’ve created has narrowed your talent pool to a limited group. By allowing equal responsibility, you may find other talents you never knew of, build motivation in all members when they take on a bigger project and create a well-rounded team that is equally trained and qualified.

Call out double standards and stereotypes

Leaders are in charge of standing up for their members in the workplace so call out biased behaviour when you see it happening! Be more aware of how your members communicate with each other. Do they interrupt others when they’re speaking, claim others’ ideas for their own or dominate a meeting without allowing others to speak? Unfortunately, these are the realities that some women face in a male-dominated office. If you notice any of these behaviours, call them out and be firm that such actions are not permitted in the workplace.

Include everyone when making decisions

Some marginalised groups of people may hold back on speaking their thoughts in a group setting as they are not used to taking centre stage. However, these diverse groups of people can bring insight and innovative ideas to the table. During team meetings, encourage them to speak up by validating their skills and asking them for their opinions based on their expertise. This makes them feel appreciated by their leader and can also improve professional well-being and relationships in the workplace.

Make yourself equally accessible to everyone

As a leader, there are times when you may build closer relationships to certain members of your team compared to others. This could be because of your shared interests or backgrounds. This is an unconscious bias you may have but it can also be detrimental to the relationships you have with the rest of your team. Other members may feel neglected and avoid approaching you in times of need. If you notice anyone on your team that doesn’t reach out to you as often, make a point to catch up with them. By showing that you are available to them, they will feel more comfortable communicating with you.

PROTIP: Interrupting your biases is one way to build trust in your team. Trust is the foundation of high-performing teams that collaborate well. Our Trust Building Workshops focus on the dysfunctions in a team to help leaders react appropriately when handling conflicts.

With biases all around and ingrained in us for years, it can be difficult to shed them. However, being self-aware of them is always a great step forward. Making a conscious effort to work on your biases will help you grow as a leader. At times, it can get uncomfortable when you acknowledge your stereotypes and prejudices but self-introspection and active improvement is a journey that all leaders will have to go on. With baby steps, you can begin to achieve a truly diverse and inclusive work environment free from biases.

References:

1. https://hbr.org/2022/02/are-you-aware-of-your-biases?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin
2. https://hbr.org/2019/11/how-the-best-bosses-interrupt-bias-on-their-teams
3. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/24-cognitive-biases-warping-reality/
4. https://www.raconteur.net/workplace/international-womens-day-business-bias/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Bumpy+times+ahead+for+Brexit+Britain+s+supply+chains&utm_campaign=Weekly-newsletter-thurs-10-mar-6am
5. Photo by Georg Eiermann on Unsplash