By Shelley Abrams
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace seem to be a hot topic right now, driven in part by social unrest over past and current discrimination, both in and outside the workplace. Many companies are striving to identify and take action to minimize discrimination in the workplace and improve diversity and inclusion throughout.
But do you know what “diversity and inclusion” in the workplace is? I didn’t really understand it fully before I started on this article, but here’s a good definition I came across in an article from A Great Place to Work:
“A diverse and inclusive workplace is one that makes everyone, regardless of who they are or what they do for the business, feel equally involved in and supported in all areas of the workplace… An inclusive workplace doesn’t just have a diversity of people present, it has a diversity of people involved, developed, empowered and trusted by the business.”
Globaldiversitypractice.com defines it in even simpler terms:
“Diversity is the mix and inclusion is getting the mix to work well together”.
Because we often hear the terms diversity and inclusion used together, we believe they are interchangeable. But they’re not; while interconnected, they are two distinctly different concepts. Diversity is something we are familiar with – what makes each of us different? In the workplace we’ve come to recognize diversity through use of anti-discrimination words in our employee handbooks, such as “gender”, “ethnicity” or “sexual orientation”. But diversity is also the less tangible things that make us different - our individual values, beliefs, preferences, behaviors, backgrounds and experiences.
Inclusion on the other hand boils down to how individuals are treated in the workplace. Is everyone treated with respect and fairness? Does everyone have equal access to the resources, tools and opportunities to allow them to be successful in their roles within the organization and to contribute to the overall success of the organization? Does the culture make everyone feel as if they “belong”? In other words, the goal of inclusion is to make everyone feel as if they are a valued member of the organization.
Hidden Biases
Now that we understand diversity and inclusion, what variable most hinders us in our desire to have a fully diverse and inclusive workplace? Our hidden biases! I have them, you have them, every business leader has them. Everyone has subconscious biases (often referred to as unconscious or implicit bias) they use when interacting with individuals on a daily basis. And we use them in our decision making.
So, what are hidden biases? They are biases that are formed early in life, reinforced so much as we grow older through our experiences, the ideologies of those around us and the images we see that it becomes buried deep in our psyches as our unconscious norms. It then seeps into our everyday interactions with others. It’s also the brain’s way of dealing with bombardment of information coming at us from all directions, processing it, and rapid-firing decisions in return. In his book, “Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgements in Our Daily Lives”, author Howard Ross proclaims:
“Ultimately, we believe our decisions are consistent with our conscious beliefs, when in fact, our unconscious is running the show.”
A lack of awareness of hidden biases makes diversity and inclusion in the workplace a challenge. Why? Because as Ross implied, if your subconscious thoughts - your hidden biases - are running the show, then it is clouding your judgement and efforts at every turn, constantly interfering with any attempt at making an organization truly inclusive and diverse. It not only affects the work environment, it impacts all relationships, both business and personal. If you are not aware of these thoughts, it makes it difficult to confront them head-on and adjust your behavior accordingly. Because everyone is doing the same thing, true diversity and inclusion are always just beyond reach in the workplace.
Understanding Hidden Biases
If you want a diverse and inclusive workplace, it’s critical to identify hidden biases that lurk in the organization and then come up with a plan to overcome them. First, we must look at some common forms of hidden biases that are found in organizations.
According to Roger J Davies, in his article, “7 Ways Unconscious Bias Impacts Your Daily Interactions at Work”, there are seven hidden biases that we carry with us into the workplace:
Affinity Bias (also known as In-Group Favoritism Bias): this type of bias takes place when we unconsciously gravitate towards people who share similar qualities to us. In the workplace this means we tend to hire, promote and even hang out with individuals based on this familiarity rather than looking at skills or attributes that may be more relevant to, and better for, the organization. This often leads to inequity in HR decisions, less creativity and fewer diverse points of view within the organization.
Attribution Bias: this bias defines how we assess and perceive the actions of others against our own. What this means is that when we are successful, we give ourselves all the credit; when we aren’t, we blame it on external causes. When the table is turned and the other person is successful, we say luck had something to do with it; when they aren’t, we blame it on their perceived shortcomings. This is another form of In-Group Favoritism Bias.
Confirmation Bias (also known as False Consensus Bias): this type of bias occurs when we always fall back on our own opinions and seek evidence to back them up, blinding ourselves to the greater picture. This kind of bias causes us to overlook what might be important and replace it with justification for our point of view. This hidden bias can lead to a culture that lacks respect and tolerance for, and thereby suppresses, opposing or divergent views.
Beauty Bias: this bias is one we are likely all familiar with - we base our judgement of others on their physical appearance and attributes, favoring heavily the most attractive individuals because we believe they are more likely to be professional and successful. This is a form of Stereotyping Bias which is often the root cause of discrimination and less diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Gender/Race Bias: this is another form of Stereotyping Bias and just means we favor one gender or race over another based on the situation at hand and certain gender or race qualities, such as physical attributes or emotional reactivity, we associate with that particular gender or race.
Halo Effect: this type of bias is similar to affinity and confirmation biases and causes us to see everything about a person in a wholly positive light (a halo) and overlook their faults, making them appear more perfect than they are.
Horns Effect: the opposite of the halo effect in that we see a person only in a negative light (the horn) and rarely attribute any positive qualities to them. This type of bias usually stems from some feature, behavior or flaw of an individual or a mistake they made in the past. I think this type of bias is somewhat akin to a grudge.
Uncovering Hidden Biases
Now that we better understand the nature of hidden biases, it’s important we identify what biases we operate from and that permeate the organization and its culture. Until that hard look inside takes place, a workplace will never reach a good balance of diversity and inclusion. So how do you go about uncovering hidden biases?
One of the first things we as individuals can do is look for subtle signs within ourselves that might clue us in that we’re using a hidden bias in our decision-making. For example, what words are we using when we talk to someone? How do we smile or make eye contact with them? What is our posture around them? According to studies, all these are signs of a hidden bias.
Individuals can ask themselves a number of questions which might allow them to hone in on those hidden biases. For example, to uncover an affinity bias, Kathleen Natly in her article “Strategies for Confronting Unconscious Bias”, suggests asking some of the following questions:
With whom am I more inclined to spend discretionary time, go to lunch, and participate in activities outside of work?
Who do I take to important client meetings?
Who makes me feel uncomfortable and why?
Who do I avoid interacting with or giving candid feedback to because I just don’t know how to relate to them or because I’m afraid I’ll make mistakes?
To whom do I give second chances and the benefit of the doubt (e.g., the people in my “in group”) and who do I judge by group stereotypes and, therefore, fail to give second chances?
From an HR perspective (per SHRM article, “Tips for Rooting Out Hidden Bias”), it’s helpful to ask yourself questions related to your hiring and promotion decisions, such as:
Do I typically hire or promote the same type of individuals? What type of candidates do I reject and why?
Do I repeatedly assign the same people to lead projects?
Do I always call on the same individuals in meetings or seek out their opinions?
Break the Hidden Bias Cycle
We need to pay attention to the assumptions we use and the behaviors we engage in if we want to break the cycle. We can do this in a number of ways:
Review decisions you make by asking yourself if your decisions would have been different if other people were involved, and what type of impact did it have on the individual(s) involved. Ask for a second opinion about the thought process that went into the decision. Question all assumptions that went into your decision. Practice justifying your decisions in writing and see if it holds water.
Pay attention to those times in which you make a snap decision or jump to conclusions, as they are most often rooted in a stereotype. Natly offers this example in her article: “When you pass a slow-moving car impeding the flow of traffic, do you expect to see a very elderly driver behind the wheel? When you see that the driver is actually younger, does that surprise you? You may truly believe you are not consciously biased against the elderly, but you reflexively presumed that the slower driver was elderly. That is a product of unconscious bias.” When you catch yourself making a similar decision, try to identify the stereotype and then ask if it would have made a difference in your decision if the opposite stereotype was in play?
Consciously make an effort to become more socially and culturally aware. You can do this in a number of ways, including cultivating relationships inside or outside work with people in different social, ethnic and cultural circles; seeking out different cultural or social experiences that gives you the opportunity to see other points of view, customs and beliefs; or finding what you have in common with people from different backgrounds.
Take a free anonymous test known as IAT (Implicit Association Test). This test, sponsored by Harvard University, reveals areas where you may have unconscious biases by measuring the speed by which you respond and associate positive or negative attributes with different concepts. You can take the test online at: implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html.
Individual awareness is not enough to completely change hidden biases but it can help; organizations need to do their part too! Organizations may never be able to fully rid themselves of hidden biases but they can implement strategies to help manage it. Some practices that can be implemented include:
Develop policies and procedures around decision making that provide opportunities to question the decision and identify if a hidden bias is at play; being asked to justify a key decision in writing or in front of a panel is one example.
Create clearly defined, measurable interview and promotion criteria that’s used to evaluate all candidates in a consistent, equitable manner.
Conduct focus groups or surveys with former and current employees or vendors to understand how certain decisions and actions impacted them, from both an opportunity perspective and an emotional one.
Conduct periodic diversity audits of all things HR, from resumes and hiring decisions to advance opportunities and project assignments, to assess if certain groups are being excluded and what barriers may be in place that inhibit diversity and inclusion.
Create mentoring and cross-training programs within the organization that includes those individuals or groups more likely to be overlooked.
Create opportunities for engagement with the community through volunteering, or consider sponsoring individuals in the community for internships or other skill-learning opportunities within the organization.
Having hidden biases is not “bad”. However, it’s important to acknowledge that these biases exist in everyone. The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity says that the implicit biases we hold do not necessarily align with our declared beliefs. But they do impact every decision we make and action we take, including how we perceive people, how we react to them, how we treat them, and what and who we pay attention to or don’t. All this impacts the dynamics between individuals and it impacts the organization.
Striving to have a diverse and inclusive workplace is achievable, but only if we acknowledge that we have subconscious biases and make a decision to uncover it, deal with it or work around it. Do that, and not only will your relationship with others improve, so will the success of your organization.