Why is an understanding of unconscious bias important?
Organisations are increasing their efforts to enhance the diversity of their workforce and pool of potential talent. Building inclusive workplaces is essential as organisations want everyone to bring their whole self to work in a psychologically safe environment and help build engagement, innovation and well-being. One of the challenges for organisations is ensuring that everyone in the organisation can recognise the impact of their own unconscious biases on how they make decisions and treat others.
Unconscious biases impact all of us and form part of how we think. Most people are not fully aware of how bias may affect how they perceive and think about other people. Bias will affect perception, attitudes and behaviour towards others and some of this behaviour can be quite subtle. It is therefore important to raise awareness of our own bias develop in the workplace and to build inclusive work cultures.
The aim of an unconscious bias workshop will be to allow people to understand how their brain works in terms of how they make decisions and think about other people. They will understand how bias occurs in all of us and recognise the impact of any associated behaviours. They will be able to name and recognise common biases in the workplace and hopefully get some a-ha moments in recognising their own unconscious biases. The aim is to get participants motivated and confident in applying strategies to help mitigate the impact of biases and work more consciously towards building inclusive cultures.
Overview of an example workshop
While the exact design of this any workshop be confirmed following further discussion, based on previous experience, as suggested content is as follows;
- Meaning of diversity and the link between diversity and unconscious bias. Importance of managing bias for leadership and organisational success
- Macro environment and business case for diversity and unconscious bias. Link to current demographic trends. Trends and organisational examples of diversity and inclusion. Examples of where bias can be triggered
- Neuropsychology of bias and why our brain operates with bias
- Examples of bias in the workplace (discussion on the different types of bias supported by research and statistics)
- Interactive exercises to enable the group to experience their own bias and to become more aware of challenging their own biases.
- Overview of biases that are relevant to their workplace and possible reasons for their existence.
- Case studies to help see the impact of biases
- Strategies to mitigate bias in the workplace
- Group and personal accountability exercise for building inclusive cultures
- Take away reading and exercises for further self-development for participants
Unconscious Bias – How can it be delivered?
Although unconscious bias awareness training it often carried out via group workshops, there is other ways that training can be carried out. CMC Business Psychology also aids organisations and individuals mitigating their bias via the following methods
- e learning
- blended learning
- one to one coaching (virtual and face to face)
- group coaching
- audits
- process design and review
- series of learning
- action learning sets
An example of one of our e-learning resources is a quiz on Unconscious Bias that we ask participants to complete before taking the workshop to measure their understanding of what unconscious bias is. Have a go of the quiz here and see how well you do!
Want to read a recent article on unconscious bias by Clare Mulligan-Foster (CPsychol)? Click here.
For a recent blog click here.
If you would like to speak to Clare about your unconscious bias workshop then please contact Clare.