How unconscious bias impacts leadership

Unconscious bias is a subtle yet powerful force that influences our decisions and interactions, often without us even realising it. Understanding and addressing these hidden prejudices helps us build an inclusive, fair and more productive work environment.

So let's talk about the invisible elephant in the room, how to identify unconscious bias and practical strategies to mitigate its impact to strengthen your leadership.

Whose responsibility is unconscious bias?

Unconscious bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that inadvertently affect our actions and decisions. They stem from our brains' need to categorise and make quick judgements and can influence everything from hiring decisions to team dynamics and performance evaluations.

Biases can lead to a lack of diverse perspectives, essential for innovation and problem-solving. Moreover, it can create a space where some employees feel undervalued and overlooked, affecting overall team cohesion and effectiveness. Cultivating a space free of prejudice in your team begins at the leadership level.

Unconscious bias and team dynamics

Leaders hold significant influence. Biased decisions can result in an unbalanced team with certain groups underrepresented. Here are a few tricky areas to watch out for:

• Career Advancement: At the extreme level, unconscious biases across promotions could unintentionally stint individual growth. Consider candidates for promotion based on a requisite set of qualifiers, and ask other managers for input to reduce bias.
• Performance Evaluations: Prejudice can also seep into performance reviews. Failing to recognise hard work can demoralise underrepresented team members, undermining everyone's motivation and engagement. Map individual performance against standardised metrics to assess fairly.
• Customer Relationships: You have the power to influence which clients receive more attention and whose complaints are prioritised. Biased decisions have the potential to harm the organisation's — or your — reputation.

By taking active steps to recognise and overcome hidden prejudices, you'll pave the way for an equitable and productive environment at work.

Drive positive change through awareness

They say good minds think alike, but great minds think differently. Modelling awareness of your own biases sets a precedent for everyone else. Remember, diversity of thought fuels creativity and drives motivation at individual and team levels.

Consider the ripple effect: When you consistently provide equal opportunities and recognition, morale shoots up. Engaged members are more productive and collaborative, leading to a healthy workplace culture and higher performance. It all starts with you. So, how do you trickle awareness through your team?

Creating an inclusive team environment

Fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity helps dampen unconscious bias. Here are some techniques I've used to create an inclusive environment:

1. Encourage Open Dialogue: Create spaces where employees feel safe to share their experiences and perspectives. Regularly scheduled diversity and inclusion meetings can provide a forum for these conversations.
2. Continuous Learning: Promote continuous learning about diversity and inclusion through workshops, seminars and reading materials. Encourage team members to stay informed about company policies and best practices.
3. Celebrate Differences: Recognise and celebrate your team members' diverse backgrounds and skills. You could do this through events, team-building activities or spotlighting individual achievements in their fields.

Manage unconscious bias with ICML

Creating an inclusive environment where unconscious biases are recognised and addressed is a continuous journey. By identifying hidden prejudices, implementing strategies to manage them and fostering an inclusive culture, you can lead your team toward a more equitable and productive future.

Remember, the goal is to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their best. For comprehensive training on diversity and inclusion, check out our Unconscious Bias course.