Six Ways To Make Sure Your Implicit Bias Training Actually Works

Organizations across the United States are beginning to understand the role implicit bias plays in everything from routine office interactions to large-scale decision making. Consequently, implicit bias training has emerged as a crucial resource for personnel managers in every sector.

As a corporate consultant, I’m often called upon to conduct bias training. And what I’ve learned is that all the training in the world won’t make any difference at all if it isn’t joined with intentional prevention and intervention. It’s not enough to train people; managers need to transform the organization as well.

What does that look like?

On a broad level, this requires strategic awareness. Organizations must carefully develop practices, policies, and processes that systematically minimize potential exposure. More strategically, it requires the diligent application and execution of these new anti-bias measures at every level.

You can think about this process in terms of a simple acronym: UNBIAS.

Understand: Take a big-picture look at the typical employee’s life cycle. When are the key moments where implicit bias can occur? Have you implemented specific systematic procedures (i.e., blind review) for curbing implicit bias? Review your recruiting, hiring and interviewing processes, as well as the staff who implement them. Does your human resources department reflect the diversity you wish to see in the organization?

Notify: The fight against implicit bias requires a large-scale cultural shift. Without buy-in from employees at every level, bias will continue to permeate your organizational culture. This change starts at the top. If decision-makers are resistant to reflecting upon and addressing their own bias, decisions need to be made as to whether they should remain with the company.

Broaden: Bias comes in many shapes and sizes. While most could easily identify racial or gender bias, little attention is given to “invisible” biases: mental disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, familial status, etc.

Implement: Once vulnerabilities are identified, processes are retooled and new norms are established, accountability must take center stage. Leave nothing to interpretation; spell out your policies as clearly as possible, and enforce them uniformly across the organization. No exceptions.

Analyze: Use metrics to discover blocks of homogeneity in your organization. How do the demographics of your leadership team compare with that of your frontline staff? Can you discern any significant difference between the rate at which one ethnicity, gender, etc. advances over another?

Survey: Talk to your employees as individuals. Do they enjoy a sense of belonging in the company? Do they feel like they need to leave an aspect of their personality at home? Do they reckon their individuality as a help or a hurt to their prospects for future advancement? If they’re in a minority group, what do they think the likelihood is of their being promoted?

You’ll notice that these six elements aren’t necessarily to be taken in order. Combating implicit bias in an organization requires ongoing diligence and periodic review. Apply the acronym frequently to ensure your workforce is as diverse, inclusive and engaging as it can possibly be.

Conclusion

Implicit bias training is a necessary element in our modern corporate environment. As public sentiment and workplace norms continue to shift in the direction of greater inclusivity and equality, it is incumbent upon organizations to honor the legitimate cultural progress that has been made on this front.

As necessary as bias training is, it is not sufficient in and of itself. To cultivate a new level of sensitivity and awareness in your organization, leaders at every level will need to commit. As a tool, UNBIAS represents a promising start. The future, however, lies in the quality and culture of leaders who wield it.

Natasha Bowman is the author of YOU CAN'T DO THAT at WORK! and President of talent management and leadership consulting firm Performance ReNEW.

Article originally posted on Forbes.com November 2018