Human beings like to believe that they apply rational thought processes to their day-to-day decision-making, and that their decisions are objective, balanced and fair. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
Psychologists and neuroscientists have demonstrated that our personal biases influence our judgment without us even being aware of them. This is nowhere more so than in the realm of inclusivity.
Unconscious or implicit bias is when we show favouritism towards or prejudice against people of a particular ethnicity, gender or social group on the basis of subconscious ingrained attitudes or stereotypes.
There can be serious repercussions for a business if promotion decisions are constantly based on gender or racial bias
Far-reaching impact
Bias in itself is neither inherently good nor bad. Bias can help you reach a conclusion more quickly – not too detrimental when you are buying milk.
But there can be serious repercussions for a business if promotion decisions are constantly based on gender or racial bias or, as we have repeatedly discovered through our work in South Africa, if male employees are paid higher salaries than female ones and white employees higher salaries than black ones.
The bias behind a pay gap can be either conscious (straightforward favouritism) or unconscious, where there is an ingrained (subconscious) belief that, for example, men are better than women. For now, let us focus on unconscious bias, which may also include affinity bias, confirmation bias, beauty bias, accent bias, as well as gender or racial bias.
The thing about unconscious bias is that it does not affect us if it aids us; like swimming with the current, it feels natural. When we benefit, we accept it as the fruit of our own achievements.
However, the opposite is true for those who are held back by bias. They may blame themselves for their failure to advance, not realising that the unconscious bias of decision-makers may be the cause.
Flawed data
Decisions all start with selecting data, a process that is also subject to bias. When considering people for a team, project or promotion, for example, we may include those we feel an affinity with – those who think like us, or have the same personality traits, may seem easier to work with. Or we may make assumptions – for example, if the role requires travelling, we may assume that female candidates with children would not be interested in applying.
Such conclusions are based on a flawed dataset. Although the team selected may work well together and seem to be performing, the potential benefits emanating from the different lived experiences of those excluded from the process will never be known.
Potential benefits emanating from the different lived experiences of those excluded from the process will never be known
Likewise, if unconscious bias operates when motivating or managing staff, performance measures may be unreliable and the wrong people may be promoted and recognised.
McKinsey’s 2018 report Delivering through Diversity found that companies in the bottom quartile for gender, ethnic and cultural diversity were 29% less likely to achieve above-average profitability than other companies.
Leadership commitment
Breaking down bias demands a transformation at both personal and corporate level. The first step is to accept that we all have biases. To lead inclusively, managers need to become aware of bias within themselves and others. They need to show visible commitment to inclusion and build cultural intelligence into the organisation.
Leaders need to be curious about themselves and others. Recognising bias in ourselves can be especially difficult, so be prepared to ask yourself hard questions about past decisions and make it acceptable for others to challenge you. It requires a level of humility and vulnerability to admit to a lack of knowledge or experience in a particular area, but it's a necessary part of the process.
Interrupting our biases requires a different way of thinking. Most of our decisions are made using our intuitive system. These are fast, automatic, effortless, implicit and emotional. Or we may rely on ‘trusted sources’ for shortcuts to decision making.
Ask yourself hard questions about past decisions and make it acceptable for others to challenge you
What we should do instead is slow down and reflect, question our thought processes, and examine and thoroughly interrogate the data. We need to challenge ourselves to unlearn or relearn habitual thinking.
One way of doing this is to ask for observations, rather than opinions. When we seek opinions, we trigger implicit associations, whereas when we ask for assessments of behaviours, we evoke conscious thoughts.
For example, ‘What do you think about Tshepo?’ triggers implicit bias. It is better to say, ‘Can you tell me what you've observed of Tshepo's abilities to negotiate tough situations?’ This evokes conscious thought rooted in observations about behaviour.
When you hear colleagues discussing others, ask ‘What makes you think that?’ or ‘What led you to that conclusion?’ Asking for these details helps you see the data behind a potential bias so that you can reach your own conclusion. It also makes others question the data they use to reach conclusions.
Inclusion is a call to action. Creating an inclusive culture in society or the workplace requires a deliberate effort and commitment on the part of leaders. We need to be intentional in our efforts to create a healthy, robust and inclusive culture in which all can thrive. It won't be achieved overnight – but the benefits are there for the taking and well worth the effort.
