workplace health & safet y
HOW UNCONSCIOUS BIAS AFFECTS YOUR DECISIONS
MAUREEN KYNE Maureen Kyne and Associates
Unconscious bias is a type of unintentional prejudice that all of us suffer from . It typically occurs as spontaneous judgments about people or situations based on your past experiences , culture , background or exposure to media .
These hidden preferences can affect nearly every decision you make , which flow on to affect you , your employees , strategies and tactics .
Unconscious bias contributes a great deal to organisational culture and has been shown to impact many decisions , including recruitment , promotion of work practices , work allocation or leadership appointments . Ultimately , it could mean the success or failure of a business .
A few of the known unconscious biases that directly impact the workplace include :
• Affinity bias : The tendency to warm up to people like ourselves .
• Halo effect : The tendency to think everything about a person is good because you like that person .
• Confirmation bias : The tendency for people to seek information that confirms pre-existing beliefs or assumptions .
• Group think : This occurs when people try too hard to fit into a particular group by mimicking others or holding back thoughts and opinions . This causes them to lose part of their identities and organisations to lose out on creativity and innovation .
The one that is the undoing of many a good intention :
• Perception bias : The tendency to form stereotypes and assumptions about certain groups that make it impossible to make an objective judgement about members of those groups .
In other words , perception bias is the unconscious act of referencing only those perspectives that fuel our pre-existing views , while at the same time ignoring or dismissing opinions — no matter how valid , that threaten our world view .
UNDERSTANDING BIAS IN PERCEPTION
Perception is our interpretation of reality . It is the cognitive process of simplifying and mentally organising the environment . It includes a series of mental models of common characteristics and scripts to make events and situations predictable .
Factors that influence perception :
• Cognitive functions .
• Personality .
• Past experiences .
• Education .
• Gender , age , ethnicity , culture etc .
Situational perception :
• Affects how we view our managers , peers , co-workers and subordinates .
• Impacts the way we manage people .
• Affects how we make decisions .
• Can lead to inappropriate behaviour .
Why we need to learn more about perception and individual differences and how this affects the workplace :
• Perception is the process through which we receive , organise and interpret information from around us .
• When we understand ourselves and those around us , we can be more effective .
• When we integrate factual and perceptual inputs into our belief system , we change the way we think and behave .
Strategies to prevent unconscious bias include :
1 . Ensure employees understand exactly what unconscious bias is , when it happens , and the ways in which it can impact your business objectives .
2 . Training should highlight clear and actionable steps that employees can take when they recognise behaviour that should be challenged .
3 . Create a workplace where employees are encouraged to speak freely about a topic , and where they are open to discussion without judgment .
4 . The topic of unconscious bias is important in itself , but the overall effect it has on your company ’ s culture is of critical importance .
Often unconscious bias affects diversity within the workplace . A study by McKinsey found a direct relationship between diversity and financial performance . Companies in the top 25 per cent of racial and gender diversity consistently outperform competitors and national standards .
• Companies with a high gender diversity are 15 per cent more likely to outperform competitors .
• Racially diverse companies are 35 per cent more likely to have higher financial returns .
• These companies experienced a 0.8 per cent rise in profits for every 10 per cent increase in racial and ethnic diversity on the senior executive team .
When unconscious bias goes unchecked it can lead to bullying and inappropriate behaviour having a further impact on productivity , turnover , brand damage for the organisation and well-being for the individual .
Join us at one of our workshops and gain a higher level of awareness of your perception and how this impacts your decision making . Check out our workshops in your area : www . eventbrite . com . au / o / maureen-kyne-amp-associates-6645850571
For more information , contact Maureen Kyne : t . 1300 136 146 m . 0437 022 246 e . enquires @ maureenkyne . com . au w . www . maureenkyne . com . au
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