Types of Unconscious Bias - examples and tips to manage

Presentation

Different types of unconscious biases

Cognitive biases

Identity-based biases

Preferences, beliefs and associations based on our cognitive processes. These are biases linked to how we make sense of and evaluate information.

Preferences, beliefs and associations based on aspects of identity including gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, etc. Often influenced by social stereotypes.

Examples

Examples

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Cognitive Biases: Workplace Examples

Click on each for a short description and tips to manage these biases in the workplace

Attribution Bias

Affinity Bias

Halo/ horns effect

Halo/Horns Effect

The tendency to allow one good or bad trait, or early interaction, to overshadow others. In the Halo Effect, we’re more likely to assume an individual can't make a mis-step, even if negative performance or mistakes occur later on. We may discount errors, mistakes or poor performance and potentially blame circumstances beyond their control. Conversely, when the Horn Effect occurs, due to a negative association early on - we tend to focus on and look for the negative in all our interactions.

Tips to manage Halo/Horn Effect

• Avoid making a judgement about a team member's competency or contribution early on.
• Review multiple points of data and feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders when providing performance feedback.

Cognitive Biases - SEEDS Model

Biases linked to how we make sense of the world and how we evaluate information. There are roughly 150 biases, that can lead us to default and flawed thinking when we are encountering new situations and people who are different to us. The NeuroLeadership Institute has developed the SEEDS model to simplify them into 5 key categories:

• Similarity: When individuals have traits similar to ours, we are more likely to see them favorably.
• Expedience: Individuals tend to rush to conclusions to minimize cognitive effort.
• Experience: People are predisposed to believe that their understanding of the world is more accurate than anyone else’s perspective.
• Distance: Individuals tend to assign greater value to what is closer than what is further away.
• Safety: Humans are more likely to over-account for negative outcomes than positive ones, which prevents us from taking risks.

Affinity Bias

Also referred to as similarity bias, it is the human tendency to gravitate towards people with similar backgrounds, interests, and beliefs. We are wired to trust, like and see the strengths of those like us. We tend to be more forgiving of errors and mistakes and focus more on their strengths. Conversely, we tend to need more time and evidence to extend our trust to those who are different to us, and we are more likely to harshly judge the mistakes of those different to us.

Tips to manage affinity bias:

• Be slow and considered when evaluating someone who is different to you - don't rely on gut instinct or quick impressions.
• Intentionally foster relationships with team members from different backgrounds.
• Find points of commonality with those who are different to you.

Attribution Bias

Refers to the the tendency of an individual to judge a person on their character or an aspect of their background, rather than the circumstances responsible for their particular action. For example, if someone is late, we might attribute qualities of laziness or disorganization to this, or we may attribute a stereotype-based association. We then miss understanding the real driver behind their lateness.

Tips to manage attribution bias:

• Avoid snap judgements about an individual. Seek to understand the situation and their intentions.
• Avoid assumptions.
• Clarify.

Identity Based Biases

Examples of common identity-based unconscious biases

• Bias that associates deeper voices and male traits with leadership competency
• Bias that associates physical disability with being less cognitively capable

• Bias that associates less language fluency with lower subject matter expertise
• Bias that associates motherhood with less career ambition

Identity-based biases preference some identities over others. Under-represented identities, such as women, people of colour, people with a disability and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities typically have more negative stereotypes linked with these identities.