Description and Objectives
Unconscious bias exists in each person’s worldview, affecting our behaviors in the workplace. It refers to the implicit attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes that affect our perception and decision-making without our conscious awareness. As a result, unconscious bias creates barriers to inclusion, performance and engagement. Understanding what unconscious bias is and how it impacts our decisions is key to fostering more inclusive and intercultural workplaces, practices and leadership. In this session, participants will learn what unconscious bias is and how it presents itself in the workplace, acknowledge their own biases and learn the basic steps of how to counter bias.
At the end of this session you will be able to:
- Define Unconscious Bias and explain the roots of unconscious bias.
- List some of the types of biases and their implications
- Practice the steps to mitigate unconscious bias in our interactions.
Course Outline
- Our two systems of thinking – fast & slow
- Activity: Activating our systems
- Conditions for bias and connection to stereotypes
- Insights from Harvard
- Discussion: Reflecting on your own potential sources of bias
- Common biases in the workplace with examples
- Performance Bias, Affinity Bias, Confirmation Bias
- Discussion: Reflecting on how these and other biases show up in your context
- A framework for mitigating bias: Acknowledge, Learn & Act
- Strategies for self-management
- Strategies to support others
- Strategies to address systemic bias
- Discussion: Reflecting on strategies that are personally or organizationally relevant
- Questions & Next Steps
- Post Session Activity/Toolkit
