Beware of the Unconscious Bias
The single story problem.
Unconscious Bias is the new term floating around the Diversity and Inclusion circles. I knew what it meant on the surface but I recently attended a session on ‘Addressing my Unconscious Bias’ and I was quite enlightened on it’s many hidden layers. It made me realize how the impact of our hidden biases is in fact much wider and more detrimental than we think. Listening to why we all tend to have biases, and how we can overcome it made me conscious of how casually we make assumptions and the amount influence that it can have on our thought process.
Companies emphasize on unconscious bias in decision–making and developing the work force so we can decrease homogeneity and encourage varied outlooks and perspectives. With the emerging business case of diversity and inclusion, it is only fitting that we make a conscious effort to interact and engage with our community free of any preconceived notions. And this probably sounds obvious to you. We all know that discriminating based on gender or race is wrong or not hiring someone because of their accent is unfair. But step back and focus on the little things we notice in the split second of meeting someone new — and we realize how many judgments we’re already making about them. These judgments might seem inconsequential at first but essentially we have created some sort of bias against that person which continues to play on our mind, ultimately affecting our impression of them.
It’s very natural for humans to have biases — our background and life experiences create a lens through which we see the world and influences how we view it. Therefore we create a very personal and subjective interpretation of the world as opposed to what it actually is and that interpretation turns into a judgement. From thinking someone with an accent has a communication problem to assuming that working mothers wouldn’t be ambitious in their careers, all of these biases aren’t deliberate — they stem from what we define as good, normal, acceptable or vice-versa. And they occur even when we have good intentions contradicting what we believe in and how we end up acting.
The ‘Emotional’ aspect of our conscience - it’s that huge part in all of us that’s guided by our feelings and passions and is also that part which is always ignored in the work space. Our emotions guide us to interpret things a certain way, for example, if you had a bad experience with someone who is chatty and loud, you are predisposed to assume that you might have a bad experience with everyone who is chatty and loud. The emotions we attach to previous situations or experiences, especially if negative, perpetuate this stereotyping effect which can be dangerous if you’re interacting with new people or managing them on a daily bases. Everyone wants to be seen on a equal scale and your personal emotions can cause an imbalance to that scale. So dealing with it tactfully is important. Trying to ignore or brush aside what your emotional conscience is telling you won’t help because it’s a quick fix. Overcoming a bias has to be fixed from the root. It’s important to understand why you feel a certain way, question that feeling and validate whether it’s genuine or not. The new popular term for this is ‘Constructive Uncertainty’ and it involves challenging those assumptions. Practicing it consciously can encourage thinking that is divergent and stimulate discussion that is beyond the norm. But more than anything else, it really has to be a part of your mindset.
Addressing unconscious bias is being aware of the implicit judgments we are making, question where they came from to prevent the creation of a bias and finally embrace the end result of diversity. Diversity, which is the overarching theme here, is crucial for the success of an organization. It brings together different perspectives and a collection of very varied experiences sparking creativity and innovation. It makes for a more welcoming and empathetic work space and very ideally represents the diverse clientele most companies cater to. It’s easy for organizations to preach the significance of diversity but the chance of it being lost in translation is high if we don’t individually take it upon ourselves to eliminate our biases and make our environment as inclusive as possible. Ever since the event, I have been thinking about what my unconscious biases are and I know that’s my first step to making diversity and inclusion an important part of my lifestyle. Imagine if everyone took that first step.
So finally what is my unconscious bias? I’m ashamed to admit it but I dislike tattoos and tend to have a completely unjustified bias against those who have them. The portrayal of people with large tattoos across their bodies in western media was so etched in my mind that the stereotype for me was REAL. Growing up, having a tattoo wasn’t cool and it (unfortunately) represented someone who isn’t serious or disciplined in life. Now, I realize how bizarre my connection between tattoos and personality is (and the dangerous effect of stereotypes in western media but that’s for another blog post). I would be lying if I said my bias has been completely eliminated but I know better now to challenge and address my judgment before jumping to conclusions and acting quickly.
I definitely consider myself lucky to be able to discuss important issues like these and contribute in a very little way to the bigger picture. The more awareness we can collectively bring, the larger the change we can make.
