Implicit/Unconscious Bias

Preferences, Traditions, Requirements (PTR) (The Management Center) If you’ve ever made a decision—from how you communicate important announcements to staff to what you ate for breakfast—you’ve used PTR*. PTR, which stands for preferences, traditions, and requirements, is a tool that can help you focus on what really matters so that you can get to better decisions. From an equity and inclusion standpoint, it can help you mitigate bias in hiring, delegate equitably, and gain more perspectives.

• First, articulate the requirements or outcomes. Preferences and traditions can sneakily become auto-pilot requirements. We see this happen often in hiring, when managers screen for qualifications that are proxies for must-have qualities, and in delegation, when managers focus on dictating how they’d like something done instead of the result they’re aiming for. The more we rely on preferences and traditions as a shortcut to getting to our required outcomes, the more we compromise on the diversity of experiences, perspectives, and approaches on our teams.

• Then, be explicit about your preferences and traditions and why they exist. There’s nothing wrong with preferences or traditions… except when unacknowledged preferences and traditions become embedded expectations that only you are aware of. Staff who are more like you or know you better are more likely to pick up on those expectations. Conversely, staff who are less like you are less likely to read the playbook in your head. When delegating work, share your preferences and traditions for how to get it done and, if it will offer helpful context, explain why.

• Finally, be flexible and seek other perspectives. Unlike bibs at a crawfish boil, preferences and traditions are not one-size-fits-all. Don’t be the dreaded micromanager who is honest but inflexible with their preferences and traditions to the point that they become requirements! Sometimes, you’ll need to let go of your preferences, or work with staff to revise existing traditions (however beloved) as your team grows in size and/or diversity, or if your operating context changes. Seeking other perspectives can help you separate your R from your P’s and T’s and surface approaches that help you best achieve the outcome you’re aiming for. (Of course, this doesn’t mean you accept every new idea—you still need to use your judgment to decide the best course of action. And, you should only agree to try out a new idea if you can truly be open to and supportive of it.)

Who Me? Biased? (New York Times) “This video series takes a closer look at the unfair effects of our subconscious.”

• Peanut Butter, Jelly and Racism (2 min.)
• Check Our Bias to Wreck Our Bias (3 min.)
• The Life-Changing Magic of Hanging Out (2 min.)
• Why We’re Awkward (3 min.)
• Snacks and Punishment (2 min.)
• High Heels, Violins and a Warning (1 min.)

How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them (TED, 2014) Diversity advocate Vernā Myers looks closely at some of the subconscious attitudes we hold toward out-groups. She makes a plea to all people: Acknowledge your biases. Then move toward, not away from, the groups that make you uncomfortable.

Project Implicit – Race Implicit Association Test (IAT) In this study you will complete an Implicit Association Test (IAT) in which you will be asked to sort pictures and words into groups as fast as you can. In addition to the IAT, there are some questions about your beliefs, attitudes, and opinions, and some standard demographic questions. This study should take about 10 minutes to complete. At the end, you will receive your IAT result along with information about what it means.

Watch TEDx ‘How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias’

Watch TEDx ‘How to overcome our biases?’

Read Unconscious/Implicit Bias Glossary

Read Six Steps for Dealing with Biases