Unconscious bias refers to the mental shortcuts that the unconscious brain takes in decision-making. In the context of equity, diversity and inclusion, it refers to how we treat people based on our unconsciously held beliefs about their cultural identity characteristics, such as race/ethnoculture, gender identity, sexual orientation and religion.
Unconscious bias permeates talent management and client development practices, which is why it is critical that organizations work to address the matter. At bci, we’re globally renowned for our practical approach in providing unconscious bias training and advisory services.
Our unconscious bias training is the backbone of our work at bci. We focus on providing leaders and team members with a shared language and understanding of how bias plays an important role in work environments. In our sessions, we focus on:
Highlighting the neuroscience of bias, drawing on leading scientific research and data in this area
Identifying specific forms and examples of bias that manifest within organizations and team interactions
Understanding how bias has an adverse effect on women and diverse professionals, in order to increase buy-in
Providing practical, concrete tools and strategies for addressing biases at the individual and organizational level
Inclusive talent management is critical for creating an organizational culture that supports the advancement of women and diverse professionals.
At bci, we work with organizations to identify and interrupt biases using an anti-oppression lens across key talent management areas, including recruitment, work allocation, mentorship and sponsorship, performance management and promotions.
If you have a brain, you will engage in bias!
Across all interactions, we unconsciously sort people into ‘us’ and ‘them’ or ‘in-group’ and ‘out-group’. We then unconsciously gravitate towards those who we view as ‘us’ and tend to avoid those who we view as ‘them’.
The key for interrupting our unconscious biases is to recognize you’re doing this, be compassionate with yourself because this is how the brain works, leverage strategies to identify what your biases are and then work to replace stereotypes with positive truths about others.
Find out more about our unconscious bias e-learning modules, which can help you scale training across employee groups or office locations.
