Unconscious prejudices: What to do about the pigeonholes in your head?

A common but often unquestioned mechanism: When people first get to know each other, similarities make the other person seem more likeable. This is not least due to the fact that most people view situations, fellow human beings or behavior through their personal filter. This filter is shaped by culture, socialization, education and other value-determining experiences of each individual. Thus, facts and people are always viewed in an unconsciously biased manner. "This phenomenon of unconscious bias is called 'Unconscious Bias'. In an operational context, these patterns of perception - partly shaped by gender stereotypes and clichés - still have a major influence on the demographic composition of a company," explains Tanya Akin, expert for Diversity and Inclusion at flowedoo GmbH. This is because unconscious prejudices are still often the basis for decision-making among many managers, employees and HR managers who are committed to diversity and openness. The only way to counter this is to consciously question ingrained perceptions again and again and to introduce standardized procedures.

Step in the right direction

It has long been known that diverse teams are an asset to companies: The more colorful, the better. Diversity in the workplace increases productivity and promotes creative problem-solving processes, as a study conducted by StepStone and the Handelsblatt Media Group in 2020 showed. But it is also a statement to the outside world, a sign that a company welcomes everyone, regardless of skin color, age, religion or gender. "However, setting up a diverse team is not always as easy as it first sounds. The main reason for this is thought to be hidden biases that influence hiring decisions," Akin says. Overcoming these subconscious biases doesn't always prove easy, and many companies still struggle with them.

With bias training against unconscious bias

In order to introduce diversity management, companies should first collect data and find out exactly where biases have an impact in their processes: in recruiting, in performance appraisals or in promotions. They need a strategy for making processes and systems more bias-free. Bias training is seen as a helpful building block here. "Employees learn in these trainings that the disadvantage is not in having biases, but in not recognizing them and making unreflective decisions. When employees and managers become aware of their Unconscious Biases, they simultaneously reduce their influence - not only on a personal level, but also structurally and systemically throughout the organization," Akin explains.

Filters investigation

Particularly in the current climate, it is essential to uncover hidden prejudices through self-reflection and to try to eliminate them. This applies not only to hiring processes, but to all processes in the entire organization. Incidentally, making teams more colorful should also not be about prioritizing diversity over whites, men or cis people, but about creating equality for those who experience unequal treatment and are affected by structural discrimination. "Professional trainers work with a bundle of methods that they use, for example, to shed light on traditional role models, their own corporate culture and also ethnic attributions," says the diversity expert. In addition, they examine the relevant processes in the companies for possible filters, which primarily concerns HR areas. Corrective measures range from mandatory position descriptions to anonymizing application documents. But objectifying procedures is not enough, as decisions are still made by people who are often influenced by personnel preferences, perception biases and associated discrimination. "Nevertheless, one thing is certain: if organizations remain at a standstill, that is, if they ignore the diverse society, sooner or later this will have a negative impact. Be it through high employee turnover within the company or even through these organizations not being able to find employees in the medium or long term - after all, who wants to work in a toxic environment?" concludes Tanya Akin.

Source and further information: www.flowedoo.de