Ducks in a Row: Implicit Bias and Commonsense
by Miki Saxon
Bias, implicit or not, intentional or not, is at the forefront of most companies and bosses’ minds. Companies spend thousands on various kinds of anti-bias training.
But based on decades of data, not much seems to change.
Perhaps that’s because bias isn’t “fixable” or, as Lily Zheng, a diversity and inclusion consultant, says, Bias isn’t like an upset stomach that an individual can take an antacid to fix.
Zheng offers a truly commonsense approach that is far more practical and achievable than trying to make people unbiased.
The outcome of any implicit bias training shouldn’t be to cure people’s bias or make them more objective—it should be to make people bias-aware. (…) When people are bias-aware, they are able to act with less bias without fixating on being unbiased.
It all boils down to knowing yourself, which can be a lost cause for some people.
More than a decade ago I started talking about MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™).
MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy)™ is the basis for everything you do—it is the why of life.
Everything you do and say is a mindset, grounded in your attitude towards others, which, in turn, is based on your personal philosophy.
Obviously, implicit bias is part of MAP.
Zheng provides a good roadmap for handling implicit bias, focusing on the need for self-honesty and a non-judgmental attitude, including that awareness doesn’t always mean change.
While the decision may not end up changing, the process of being honest and nonjudgmental about one’s own bias adds both accountability and intentionality.
I provided a simple step-by-step for changing your MAP if you so desire.
Both require honest self-awareness, but doing them is, as always, your choice.
Image credit: Ron Mader
