Unconscious Bias: Overcoming Barriers to Inclusion

Introduction

I’ve always thought of myself as being relatively aware, experienced and educated on DEI as a subject matter, putting my words into practice, politely educating others when I observe biases. In a previous job, I was organising a thought leadership program focused on equality in business, and had been proud of myself for sourcing a panel of five strong Asian women leaders to talk about their experiences. The event metrics were highly successful, but soon after we launched, there were a number of internal folks who provided strong feedback that the panel was not diverse enough. Although the panellists were from different countries and upbringings, and mixed races and cultures, visibly they looked like they were all of North Asian descent. I was mortified by my own shortcomings, having gotten caught up in the preparation, but not considering all angles. Upon reflection now, I even think we could have had a man on the panel as an ally to give his perspective. 

The moral of my experience was that unconscious bias is everywhere and we all have our gaps in awareness (side note, the word “blindspot” could be considered non-ableist and offensive to some folks). In Asia, with our culture and traditions, gaps in knowledge and awareness may be heightened. This article examines the impact of unconscious bias and outlines some strategies to promote fairness and inclusivity.

Understanding Unconscious Bias

Unconscious bias refers to the implicit attitudes and stereotypes that influence our decisions and actions without our conscious awareness. These biases are shaped by our upbringing, experiences, and societal norms, and can lead to unfair treatment and missed opportunities in the workplace.

Professor Banaji (Harvard University) and Professor Greenwald (University of Washington) explain, "Unconscious biases are mental shortcuts that all of us take every day. They allow us to make sense of the world and act quickly, but they can also lead to poor decisions and unfair treatment of others".

The Impact of Unconscious Bias

Unconscious biases can have a significant impact on decision-making and workplace dynamics. A study by the McKinsey Global Institute found that unconscious bias is a key factor contributing to the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles, with Asian women facing the additional challenge of cultural biases.

The Diversity Council Australia highlighted similar challenges faced by ethnic minorities in the workplace, noting that "people from Asian backgrounds often experience bias and discrimination, including being overlooked for promotions and leadership roles".

Mitigating Unconscious Bias

Here are some thoughts on how to address unconscious bias, including some examples of what I’ve seen work well:

1. Awareness and Training

Education is the foundation, e.g. through workshops, e-learning modules (internal or off-the-shelf), and open team discussions that encourage self-reflection and promote a culture of inclusion. 

2. Inclusive Talent Management

Review recruitment, promotion, and talent management processes to identify and mitigate potential sources of bias, e.g. removing personally identifiable information in the resume screening process, ensuring diversity in interview panels, expanding candidate pools to include diverse backgrounds, and providing unconscious bias training for hiring managers and interviewers. Harvard Business Review also highlights that structured interviews and clear performance criteria can help reduce the influence of unconscious bias.

3. Accountability and Transparency

Establish clear diversity and inclusion goals, and hold leaders and managers accountable for actions and progress. Regular inspection and monitoring, feedback mechanisms, and visible reporting (internally or publicly) can help promote transparency and drive meaningful change.

4. Fostering an Inclusive Culture

Overcoming unconscious bias requires a holistic approach beyond just policies and processes. We also need to actively cultivate a culture of belonging, where employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to be their authentic selves. Inclusion strategist, Vernā Myers, shares, "Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance".

Call-to-Action

Tackling unconscious bias head through building awareness, implementing inclusive practices, and fostering a culture of belonging, is core to organisations’ DEI approach. As leaders, we can lead by example and champion the trainings, policies, accountability and culture building. We can also share our own examples, vulnerabilities and insights, inspiring others towards a more inclusive future.

References

- Banaji & Greenwald, “Blindspot: Hidden biases of good people.”, August 2016.

- McKinsey Global Institute, “The Power of Parity: Advancing Women's Equality in Asia Pacific.”, April 2018.

- Diversity Council of Australia, “Cracking the Glass-Cultural Ceiling: Future Proofing Your Business in the 21st Century.”, August 2014.

- Harvard Business Review, “How to Take the Bias Out of Interviews.”, April 2016.

- Vernā Myers, “How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them.”, November 2014.