Unconscious Bias and the Hiring Decision

Transcription

1 Unconscious Bias and the Hiring Decision Jean McGill & Tamara O Day-Stevens, Ph.D. Goodwin College 1

2 Agenda What is unconscious bias? Effect of unconscious bias on hiring decisions The science behind unconscious bias Minimizing the impact of unconscious bias in your hiring process 2

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6 Definition of Unconscious Bias Unconscious bias refers to the biases we have of which we are not in conscious control. These biases occur automatically, triggered by our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations based on our background, cultural environment and our experiences. Also called: implicit biaswhich includes both implicit stereotypes and implicit attitudes. Definition of Unconscious Bias Skin color, gender and age are generally what people think of when they consider biases, but individuals can harbor unconscious prejudice about myriad characteristics, including: Height and weight Introversion and extroversion Marital and parental status Disability status (for example, the use of a wheelchair or cane) Foreign accents Where someone attended college Hobbies or extracurricular activities 6

7 Characteristics of Unconscious Bias Implicit biases are pervasive. Everyone possesses them, even people with avowed commitments to impartiality such as judges. Implicit and explicit biases are related but distinct mental constructs. They are not mutually exclusive and may even reinforce each other. The implicit associations we hold do not necessarily align with our declared beliefs or even reflect stances we would explicitly endorse. We generally tend to hold implicit biases that favor our own in-group, though research has shown that we can still hold implicit biases against our in-group. Implicit biases are malleable. Our brains are incredibly complex, and the implicit associations that we have formed can be gradually unlearned through a variety of debiasing techniques. 7

8 Wheel of Diversity Confirmation bias Effective Heuristic Expectation Anchor Intuition Common Biases From Blind Spot by Dr. Mahzarin Banaji 8

9 Before the Interview Study - Resumes assessed by STEM professors: John vs. Jennifer Study - Resumes sent to actual employers: Jamal vs. Brendan Study Interviews for low-wage positions: black vs. white Credit: Johanna Goodman 9

10 It s Everywhere But WHY? Two Brains Running Slow thinking Deliberative, analytical, conscious, explicit Parking a car, making a large purchase, filling out tax form Fast thinking Intuitive, automatic, largely unconscious, implicit Detects facial expression, quickly completes common expressions From NYT article, Nov. 25, 2011 A Level Playing Field 10

11 Minimize the Impact of Unconscious Bias The Easy Part: Use best practices for recruiting, interviewing and selection Clear job description for specific knowledge, skills and abilities noted Mandate a diverse candidate slate Diverse interviewing group Identify and use consistent set of questions for each candidate Carefully examine all pre-employment testing for relevance and fairness Minimize the Impact of Unconscious Bias The Harder Part Examine your own unconscious biases because we all have them Take the Implicit Association Test (see Project Implicit web link on last page) Explore critical questions such as - When I look at who I tend to hire, promote, what demographic traits do they typically (not necessarily always) have in common? When I go into a new or strange place where I know no one, if given a choice what type of person am I likely to sit next to? 11

12 Share & Take-Away Discuss with a neighbor: Do you have a current practice that helps you recognize and minimize your unconscious biases? What new idea will you take away, to strengthen your hiring process? How will you influence and lead others in your organization on this topic? Additional Resources Book - Blind Spot by Dr. Mahzarin Banaji Article Discrimination in a Low-Wage Labor Market: A Field Experiment by Pager, et al. Book Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Project Implicit 12

13 Unconscious Bias Is Everywhere 13