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Health Equity and Community Excellence are core values at the IHP. For us, this means embodying an educational and community environment that is prepared to advance health equity and is a place where all members are respected, valued and supported to thrive with a robust understanding of social context and lived experiences.

To hold ourselves accountable to our mission and commitment to health equity and community excellence, the MGH Institute has developed a set of Health Equity and Community Excellence (HECE) Core Competencies. As an organization we believe that these HECE competencies are core to the success of our community in working to advance care in a diverse society.

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Eric Liu: Why ordinary people need to understand power

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HealthLGBTQ – National Coalition for LGBTQ Health

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Protect Your People is a digital toolkit designed to help protect organizers, service providers, members, and staff of organizations facing digital threat as a result of their work supporting LGBTQ+ people and communities.

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Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic

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Protect Your People Toolkit - Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic

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Protect Your People is a digital toolkit designed to help protect organizers, service providers, members, and staff of organizations facing digital threat as a result of their work supporting LGBTQ+ people and communities. The toolkit is available in a mobile-friendly version and PDF version.

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MGB Government Affairs Vitals Page (updated regularly)

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MGB Government Affairs Vitals Page (updated regularly)

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"We are a healthcare system built on principles of compassion, integrity, and dedication. These principles guide us daily as we strive to provide the highest quality of care to our patients, support our employees and the communities we serve, and to contribute to the advancement of medical science. Our commitment to these values remains steadfast.

We recognize that questions and issues may arise with changes in federal policy. To support you, we will keep this Vitals page updated with important information that may be helpful as you communicate with your patients and answer their questions. We want to ensure that you have the resources and support you need to continue delivering exceptional care. "

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Attorney General Guidance: MA Service Providers Regarding Immigration

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Attorney General Guidance: MA Service Providers Regarding Immigration

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General Information for Massachusetts Service Providers Regarding Immigration

Enforcement

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Attorney General Guidance: Information for Massachusetts Regarding Immigrant Students

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Attorney General Guidance: Information for Massachusetts Regarding Immigrant Students

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Colleges and Universities Regarding Immigrant Students

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These are a series of curated book lists from the IHP MVCE office. These lists cover topics such as disability justice, Curriculum & Pedagogy, and MVCE in Health Care. Some of these books are available through the Bellack Library, but these links will allow you to see if they are available at your local library.

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In our lives and as part of organizations, workplaces, and movements, many of us play different roles in pursuit of equity, shared liberation, inclusion, and justice. And yet, we often get overwhelmed, lost, and burned out. Some of us are newcomers to ongoing social change efforts and don't know where to start. Still others are catalyzed into action in the midst of a crisis in our community.

The Social Change Ecosystem Map is a framework that can help individuals, networks, and organizations align with social change values, individual roles, and the broader ecosystem. It has two components: shared values embodied in the yellow circle in the middle; ten roles that people and organizations often show up in when they are participating in social change efforts. These are premised on an ecosystem concept, that we are more effective and more sustainable in our social change work when we build connections with others.

The framework has become a tool used by people and organizations, particularly during a time of unprecedented challenges, from the global pandemic to the 2020 uprisings to climate disasters, to find ways to engage in social change efforts more effectively, collaboratively, and sustainably.

Learn more about the social change ecosystem map on our YouTube here.
Interested in trainings/workshops on the social change ecosystem map? Learn more about our offerings here and fill out this contact form to connect with the SolidarityIs team.

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Social Change Ecosystem Map - Building Movement

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In our lives and as part of organizations, workplaces, and movements, many of us play different roles in pursuit of equity, shared liberation, inclusion, and justice. And yet, we often [...]

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50 Simple Ways to Make a Difference in Your Community

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50 Simple Ways to Make a Difference in Your Community

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Have you ever wanted to help your community but felt completely overwhelmed about where to start? You're not alone.

I created this list for women who care deeply about making a difference but don't know how to begin-or feel like they don't have enough time, knowledge, or resources to matter.

Here's what I've learned after twenty years in civic leadership: making a difference isn't about doing everything perfectly. It's about showing up consistently in small ways that fit your actual life.

This resource is built around the idea that civic wellness isn't just about doing-it's also about being. You don't have to transform into a different person to create change. You can start exactly where you are, in your neighborhood, with what you have, in ways that feel authentic to who you already are.

Before we dive into the actions, let's talk about the mindset. Being civically well means:

You know your role in community - You understand that you belong and your voice matters, even if you're not an expert

You show up authentically - You engage as yourself, not as someone you think you should be

You're at peace with your contribution - You don't carry guilt about not doing "enough" because you know consistent small actions create real change

You're connected to your values - Your civic engagement reflects what actually matters to you, not what others say should matter

You practice sustainable engagement - You show up in ways that energize rather than drain you

Now, here are 50 simple ways to put that civic wellness into action:

1. Look up who represents you at the city, county, and state level

2. Find out when your next local election is and what's on the ballot

3. Read one article from your local newspaper

4. Research one local issue you've heard neighbors talking about

This list is just the beginning. The best civic actions are the ones that fit your life, align with your values, and feel sustainable to you.

What would you add to this list? Share your ideas in the comments below. Maybe you've found a simple way to connect with neighbors, or discovered a local organization that makes volunteering feel joyful rather than overwhelming.

I'll be updating this resource based on your suggestions (maybe we can build towards 100 ideas?), so please jump in with your own simple ways to make a difference. Together, we can build a community of women who know that small, consistent actions create the change we want to see.
What's one thing from this list you could try this week?
Love and Light,

Sophia
P.S. Looking for more support in building sustainable civic engagement? Join our community of women who are creating change without the burnout by subscribing below or sharing with a friend.

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50 Simple Ways to Make a Difference in Your Community

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Free Resource: Not Your Mother's Guide to Civic Participation

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How To Be An Everyday Activist - Everyday Activism Network

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Everyday activism is for everyone. Learn how to be an everyday activist. Turn your activism into a daily practice by taking action on the social justice issues you care about.

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Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

Democracy thrives when people's voices are heard. The easier it is for you to contact Congress, the better. It's that simple.

Failure to effectively reach members of Congress has disastrous consequences. Studies show that politicians fundamentally misconceive their constituents' views, making it harder for them to represent us in the lawmaking process.

That's why we built Democracy.io: a new tool to put you in touch with your members of Congress-with as few clicks as possible.

Simple and easy to use

We make it possible for you to email your two senators and representative through a single website. You submit one message-not three different messages on three different forms on three different websites.

Some key features:

All your senators and representatives on one website.

Say whatever you want. Many activism platforms want you to send a pre-written message about a specific topic. We let you tell Congress exactly what's on your mind.

Free software. All our code is licensed under the AGPL, which means people can create new versions with different features and continue to improve on our original idea.

We don't tell people what to say

This project is hosted by the Taskforce.is, but it's a neutral tool. We don't control or influence the messages that are sent through Democracy.io. We're committed to free speech, and we support the free speech rights of our users.

Sometimes we may oppose what people choose to tell their legislators. Even in those cases, we won't censor what individuals choose to say. We think society benefits from a plurality of voices speaking on a broad range of topics, and as a free speech organization this is a value we hold dear, even if we disagree with the message.

While we have tried to make the best tool we can, please understand that Democracy.io may have bugs or other technical issues, and is offered without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. See the license for more details.

Why we're doing this.

First, we want contacting your elected officials to be easy. Then more people will do it. And that's good for democracy.

We also want to show off the functionality of the tools Taskforce.is has been creating over the last several years. We are working from the contact-congress dataset originally created by the Participatory Politics Foundation and later adopted by and improved upon by the Sunlight Foundation, EFF, and several collaborating organizations. Together, we've been working on a large-scale project to improve how Internet users contact elected officials and other decision makers.

Democracy.io lets you test out one of these tools-emailing members of Congress-but we're also creating simple ways to send Tweets to members of Congress, call Congress, sign petitions, and submit official comments to government agencies. If you're an advocacy organization that likes how this works, check out our Github page and contact [email protected] to discuss whether these free software, user-focused tools are a good solution for your advocacy needs.

Who is behind this project

Democracy.io was built by three amazing programmers who want to make the world a better place- Sina Khanifar, Leah Jones, and Randy Lubin, as part of a project for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It's maintained by Taskforce.is.

The backend system that delivers these messages to Congress was written by EFF employee William Budington. The contact-congress dataset that was completed with help from over 100 EFF volunteer web developers, (and in particular these five individuals). The dataset is now maintained by EFF, the Sunlight Foundation, and Action Network.

Democracy.io is copyright (c) Taskforce.is and is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License, Version 3.

Jump in, change the world.

Want to help with this and future technology projects? If you're a web developer who might want to occasionally volunteer, send an email to [email protected] and also sign up with Taskforce, a volunteer group that works with EFF on many projects to make the Internet more awesome and free.

We democracy.

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Democracy.io - Contact your Members of Congress

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Your browser does not support HTML5 video. Failure to effectively reach members of Congress has disastrous consequences. Studies show that politicians fundamentally misconceive their constituents' views, making it harder for them to represent us in the lawmaking process. That's why we built Democracy.io: a new tool to put you in touch with your members of Congress-with as few clicks as possible.

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Find your elected officials and districts

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Find your elected officials and districts

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This tool allows you to identify all of your representatives by address.

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Officials & Districts — Powered by Cicero

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Find your elected officials and legislative districts. Free representative look-up by address.

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Whether you’re a U.S. citizen, a green card holder, a student on a visa, or undocumented, you have legal rights. … More

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Welcome to the Mission, Values and Community Excellence (MVCE) Padlet curated by the IHP MVCE Office and Bellack Library. Here you will find a collection of websites, videos, readings and tools to help you build a background on important MVCE concepts and build avenues for additional learning. Please let us know if you have any feedback by commenting below or sending us an email! You can reach us at: mvce@mghihp.edu

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Schedule a consultation with our Librarians either virtually or in person. Booking an appointment is fast and easy, simply click on the "book a consultation" button and get system reminders of your appointment. All appointments can be canceled by referencing your confirmation email.

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The Office of Mission, Values, and Community Excellence engages in mission-critical work. MVCE serves faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members, and prospective students at the IHP.

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Connect and learn with your fellow students by joining inclusive community focused student organizations and programs.

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Get involved. Make a positive impact on the lives of those around you. Improve the system for the greater good. Student organizations add further layers of interest to our community. Some may focus on community service or a particular profession, but all help to strengthen the connection between practice and people.

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Bellack Library + MVCE Library Guide Collaborations

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Bellack Library + MVCE Library Guide Collaborations

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These are a collection of library guides on a variety of topics that were created in partnership between the Bellack Library and MVCE. These guides offer a good starting point when researching topics concerning health equity.

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JEDI Office Collaborations - MGH Guides at Massachusetts General Hospital

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Red Cards / Tarjetas Rojas | Immigrant Legal Resource Center | ILRC

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All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The ILRC’s Red Cards help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home. Special thanks to our many partners who contributed translations in the various languages now available, making these red cards accessible to more individuals.

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EAP/SAP is available for appointments and on call if urgent support is needed.

Call at 866-724-4327 or submit a request online to connect: https://eap.partners.org/schedule-an-appointment/

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED

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How to have curious conversations in dangerously divided times

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How to have curious conversations in dangerously divided times

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How to have curious conversations in dangerously divided times (w/ Mónica Guzmán)

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Office of Student Affairs & Services: Accessibility Resources

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Office of Student Affairs & Services: Accessibility Resources

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Overview of Accessibility Resources

Mission
Accessibility Resources, within the Office of Student Affairs and Services, seeks to improve the educational experience of MGH Institute of Health Professions students with disabilities by providing compassionate support, equitable access, and thoughtful accommodations to those who need them. It strives to create an inclusive environment on campus, where diversity and inclusion are celebrated.
What Is a Disability?
According to the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended in 2008, a disability is defined as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities."

Activities include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working.

Major life activities also includes bodily functions including, but not limited to, functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.

Our Commitment to Confidentiality
The MGH Institute and OSAS take student privacy very seriously. It is important to us and we encourage students to take it seriously, too. Disability-related documentation, including medical records and correspondence about accommodations will be managed in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), related legislation, and Institute policy.

Information concerning disabilities and accommodations will only be shared on a need-to-know basis, and only for the purpose of assuring appropriate accommodations in support of student success. No information related to disabilities or accommodations is included in official records (such as transcripts) for students and alumni.
Communicating Appropriately, Proactively
While promoting confidentiality and privacy, OSAS also encourages students to discuss the logistics of their accommodation request(s) with relevant faculty and/or clinical instructors and their faculty advisor at the start of each course.

Any student who would like guidance on this aspect of managing accommodations should please contact Luella Benn. Students are reminded to use good judgment if they decide to discuss accommodations with classmates or others.

Accommodations Process for Students with a Disability

Accessibility Resources supports the Institute's mission and value of diversity by facilitating and supporting equal access to its programs and services for students who experience a disability.

To be eligible for disability-related services, individuals must have a documented disability as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and/or the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Eligible disabilities include physical and mental impairments which may include but are not limited to vision, hearing, mobility, learning, systemic, psychiatric, and brain injury that substantially limit one or more major life activities.

Accessibility Resources will request documentation from an appropriate professional to certify individuals as having a disability. The cost of obtaining documentation will be borne by the student.

If the initial documentation is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent of the disability and appropriate accommodations, Accessibility Resources has the discretion to require supplemental assessment. The cost of the supplemental assessment shall also be borne by the student.

Pending receipt of the eligibility documentation, Accessibility Resources and/or the Institute reserves the right to deny services and accommodations.

Disability evaluations must have been performed within five years of the date of submission; otherwise students will be asked to submit a current evaluation at the student's own expense. (OSAS can provide assistance in locating appropriate, licensed evaluators.) All information provided will be kept confidential, except as required by law.

The OSAS suite is located on the ground floor of Building 39, across the street to the right from the Catherine Filene Shouse Building, our main academic building. Easily accessible to all, OSAS has a highly qualified staff of professionals who welcome students' questions, listen to their concerns, and respond to their needs and situations.

Forms

Semester Accommodation Form: Once students have been approved for accommodations at IHP, students should complete this form each semester to have their Accommodation Notification Letters distributed.

Accommodation Notification Letter: After a student has completed a Semester Request Form, the Associate Director of Accessibility Resources will draft a notification letter. This letter is sent to the student, course instructors/faculty, and key program designee(s) who directly assist in the implementation of students' accommodations.

Accommodations Decision Appeal Process

Informal Resolution
Students may pursue an informal resolution by meeting with the Director of Accessibility Resources and Wellness. If no satisfactory resolution is reached, student should initiate a formal complaint in writing to the Dean of Student Affairs and Services. It is not required to seek an informal resolution.
Formal Resolution
A complaint must be submitted in writing to the Dean of Student Affairs and Services, Dr. Jack Gormley, within 5 business days from the time the student knew or could reasonably be expected to have known of the action that is the subject of the complaint. It should include information regarding the specific action being complained of and the date it occurred, the grounds upon which the appeal is based, and the relief requested. If the nature of the complaint is time sensitive, please explain why in your statement.

The Dean will review the complaint, and contact the student to schedule an appeal hearing within 10 days of the date it was received.

Once the Dean has received your statement, they will determine if additional participants are needed at the hearing. For example, faculty or staff or classmates involved in the circumstances of your concern. Therefore, please be as specific as possible if there are others you wish to involve.

During the hearing, you will have an opportunity to summarize your appeal, and ask questions. The Dean will lead the hearing and will have questions for you after reading your complaint.

You may bring one individual to join you in the hearing, to take notes or offer support. This is optional. This person may not speak or interrupt the meeting in any way.

All time frames referred to in this procedure refer to academic calendar days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Faculty Responsibilities

Resources

There are a variety of outside resources available to students with disabilities and the MGH Institute population at large. Below are a few places to begin your search. Please reach out to the Associate Director of Accessibility Resources if you'd like further assistance.

The IHP School of Nursing and the University of Michigan Medical School's Department of Family Medicine have collaborated to create the #NursesWithDisabilities and #DocsWithDisabilities Project. The goal is to share experiences and understanding of the professional journeys of nurses and physicians with disabilities, in their own words.

Our Writing Tutor can help with writing skills and techniques. Please visit our Career Services page for more information

The Student Assistance Program (SAP), a part of the Employee Assistance Program, is available to all IHP students. They can provide a large variety of services including counseling, mental health referrals, childcare resources and more! Call EAP today at 1 (866) 724-4327 .

Tufts Medical Center College Learning Disorders / ADHD Clinic helps college students in the Boston area receive comprehensive testing and resources for learning disorders.

Accessibility Resources can help with acquiring adaptive technology. Some examples:

Dragon is a speech recognition software that allows voice-to-text dictation. This can be helpful to students who need note takers, but also to those who prefer using their voice instead of a keyboard

JAWS is a screen reading software that enables students who are blind or visually impaired to navigate the internet and Windows programs by using keystrokes to input data

Listening devices are available for students who need them

Amplified stethoscopes can be loaned out for students to use in their clinical placements

Contact Us

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Students at the MGH Institute are supported by a caring staff with policies and procedures to ensure equitable access. Accessibility Resources aims to advocate for and support students with disabilities on campus and arrange accommodations when needed that allow them to succeed.

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The Solidarity Is This Podcast explores the principles of transformative solidarity and provides examples of what solidarity looks like in action.

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The Solidarity Is This Podcast explores the principles of transformative solidarity and provides examples of what solidarity looks like in action.
In each episode, you'll hear from activists, artists, faith leaders, and organizers throughout our social change ecosystem who are working for equity, justice, and liberation. Providing a glimpse into the many faces of transformative solidarity, we hope this podcast will give you inspiration, ideas, and support for your own journey with solidarity practice.

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Solidarity Is This Podcast - Solidarity Is

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Solidarity. It's become a buzzword. But what is solidarity? And how do we go about practicing solidarity, as activists, as organizations, as people who care deeply about building inclusive schools, campuses, workplaces and neighborhoods?

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Overview While we aim to articulate the specificities of each system of oppression, we recognize that all systems of oppression are interconnected in their goals and the violence that they perpetuate against historically oppressed populations. Common threads of dehumanization, domination, exploitation and erasure connect each form of oppression as they act to maintain the status […]

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Learn about and reflection on implicit associations you might have.

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Log in or register to find out your implicit associations about race, gender, sexual orientation, and other topics!

Or, continue as a guest by selecting from our available language/nation demonstration sites:

GO!

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Log in or register to find out your implicit associations about race, gender, sexual orientation, and other topics! Or, continue as a guest by selecting from our available language/nation demonstration sites: GO!

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Implicit or Unconscious Bias

By Charlotte Ruhl, published July 01, 2020

Take-home Messages

Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that can manifest in the criminal justice system, workplace, school setting, and in the healthcare system.

Implicit bias is also known as unconscious bias or implicit social cognition.

There are many different examples of implicit biases, ranging from categories of race, gender, and sexuality.

These biases often arise as a result of trying to find patterns and navigate the overwhelming stimuli in this very complicated world. Culture, media, and upbringing can also contribute to the development of such biases

Removing these biases is a challenge, especially because we often don't even know they exist, but research reveals potential interventions and provides hope that levels of implicit biases in the United States are decreasing.

The term implicit bias was first coined back in 1995 by psychologists Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, where they argued that social behavior is largely influenced by unconscious associations and judgments (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995).

Specifically, implicit bias refers to attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious way, making them difficult to control.

Since the mid-90s, psychologists have extensively researched implicit biases, revealing that, without even knowing it, we all possess our own implicit biases.

System 1 and System 2 Thinking

Kahneman (2011) distinguishes between two types of thinking: system 1 and system 2.

System 1 is the brain's fast, emotional, unconscious thinking mode. This type of thinking requires little effort, but it is often error prone. Most everyday activities (like driving, talking, cleaning, etc.) make heavy use of the type 1 system.

The type 2 system is slow, logical, effortful, conscious thought, where reason dominates.

Implicit Bias vs. Explicit Bias

It is also possible that your implicit and explicit biases are different from your neighbor, friend, or even your family member. There are many factors that can control how such biases are developed.

What Are the Implications of Unconscious Bias?

Implicit biases become evident in many different domains of society. On an interpersonal level, they can manifest in simply daily interactions. This occurs when certain actions (or microaggressions) make others feel uncomfortable or aware of the specific prejudices you may hold against them.

Racial Stereotypes

Unconscious racial stereotypes are a major example of implicit bias. In other words, having an automatic preference for one race over another without even being aware of this bias.

This bias can manifest in small interpersonal interactions and has broader implications in the legal system and many other important sectors of society.

Examples may include holding an implicit stereotype that associates Black individuals as violent, and as a result, you may cross the street at night when you see a Black man walking in your direction, without even realizing why you are crossing the street.

The action taken here is an example of a microaggression. A microaggression is a subtle, automatic, and often nonverbal, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative prejudicial slights and insults toward any group (Pierce, 1970). Here, crossing the street communicates an implicit prejudice, even though you might not even be aware.

Another example of an implicit racial bias is if a Latino student is complimented by a teacher for speaking perfect English, but he is actually a native English speaker. Here, the teacher assumed that simply because he is Latino that English would not be his first language.

Gender Stereotypes

Gender biases are another common form of implicit bias. Gender biases are the ways in which we judge men and women based on traditional feminine and masculine assigned traits.

For example, a greater assignment of fame to male than female names (Banaji & Greenwald, 1995) reveals a subconscious bias that holds men at a higher level than their female counterpart. Whether you voice the opinion that men are more famous than women is independent of this implicit gender bias.

Another common implicit gender bias regards women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). In the school setting, girls are more likely to be associated with language over math, whereas males are more likely to be associated with math over language (Steffens & Jelenec, 2011), revealing clear gender-related implicit biases that can ultimately go so far as to dictate future career paths.

Even if you outwardly say men and women are equally good at math, it is possible you subconsciously associate math more strongly with men without even being aware of this association.

Health Care

Healthcare is another setting where implicit biases are very present. Racial and ethnic minorities and women are subject to less accurate diagnoses, curtailed treatment options, less pain management, and worse clinical outcomes (Chapman, Kaatz, & Carnes, 2013).

Additionally, Black children are often not treated as children at all, or not given the same compassion or level of care that is provided for White children (Johnson et al., 2017).

It becomes very evident that implicit biases infiltrate the most common sectors of society, making it all the more important to begin to question how we can work to remove these biases.

LGBTQ+ Community Bias

Similar to implicit racial and gender biases, individuals may hold implicit biases against members of the LGBTQ+ community. Again, that does not necessarily mean that these opinions are voiced outwardly or even consciously recognized by the beholder for that matter.

Rather, these biases are unconscious. A really simple example could be asking a female friend is she has a boyfriend, assuming her sexuality and that heterosexuality is the norm or default.

Instead, in this specific situation, you could just ask your friend if she is seeing someone. There are several other forms of implicit biases that fall into categories ranging from weight to ethnicity to ability that come into play in our everyday lives.

Legal System

Both law enforcement and the legal system shed light on implicit biases. An example of implicit biases functioning in law enforcement is the shooter bias - the tendency among the police to shoot Black civilians more often than White civilians, even when they are unarmed (Mekawi, & Bresin, 2015).

This bias has been repeatedly tested in the laboratory setting, revealing an implicit bias against Black individuals. Blacks are also arrested at disproportionally high rates, given harsher sentences, and Black juveniles are tried as adults more often than their White peers.

Black boys are also seen as less childlike, less innocent, more culpable, more responsible for their actions, and as being more appropriate targets for police violence (Goff, 2014).

Together, these unconscious stereotypes, which are not rooted in truth, form an array of implicit biases that are extremely dangerous and utterly unjust.

Work

Implicit biases are also visible in the workplace. One experiment that tracked the success of White and Black job applicants found that stereotypically White received 50% more callbacks than the stereotypically Black names, regardless of the industry or occupation (Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2004).

This reveals another form of implicit bias: the hiring bias - Anglicized‐named applicants receiving more favorable pre‐interview impressions than other ethnic‐named applicants (Watson, Appiah, & Thornton, 2011).

Causes of Implicit Bias

We're susceptible to bias because of these tendencies:

We tend to seek out patterns

A key reason we develop such biases is that our brains have a natural tendency to look for patterns and associations in order to make sense of a very complicated world.

Research shows that even before kindergarten, children already use their group membership (e.g., racial group, gender group, age group, etc.) to guide inferences about the psychological and behavioral traits.

At such a young age, they have already begun to seek out patterns and recognize what distinguishes them from other groups (Baron, Dunham, Banaji, & Carey, 2014).

And not only do children recognize what sets them apart from other groups, they believe "what is similar to me is good, and what is different from me is bad" (Cameron, Alvarez, Ruble, & Fuligni, 2001).

Children aren't just noticing how similar or dissimilar they are to others, but dissimilar people are actively disliked (Aboud, 1988).

Recognizing what sets you apart from others, and then forming negative opinions about those outgroups (a social group with which an individual does not identify) contributes to the development of implicit biases.

We like to take shortcuts

Another explanation is that the development of these biases is a result of the brain's tendency to try to simplify the world.

Mental shortcuts make it faster and easier for the brain to sort through all of the overwhelming data and stimuli we are met with every second of the day. And we take mental shortcuts all the time. Rules of thumb, educated guesses, and using "common sense" are all forms of mental shortcuts.

Implicit bias is a result of taking one of these cognitive shortcuts inaccurately (Rynders, 2019). As a result, we incorrectly rely on these unconscious stereotypes to provide guidance in a very complex world.

And especially when we are under high levels of stress we are more likely to rely on these biases than to examine all of the relevant, surrounding information (Wigboldus, Sherman, Franzese, & Knippenberg, 2004).

Social and Cultural influences

Influences from media, culture, and your individual upbringing can also contribute to the rise of implicit associations that people form about the members of social outgroups. Media has become increasingly accessible, and while that has many benefits, it can also lead to implicit biases.

The way TV portrays individuals, or the language journal articles use, can ingrain specific biases in our mind.

For example, they can lead us to associate Black people as criminals or females as nurses or teachers. The way you are raised can also play a huge role. One research study found that parental racial attitudes can influence children's implicit prejudice (Sinclair, Dunn, & Lowery, 2005).

And parents are not the only figures who can influence such attitudes. Siblings, the school setting, and the culture in which you grow up can also play a role in shaping your explicit beliefs and implicit biases.

Implicit Attitude Test (IAT)

What sets implicit biases apart from other forms of biases is the fact that they are subconscious - we don't know if we have them.

However, researchers have developed a tool, called the Implicit Association Test (IAT) that can help reveal such biases.

The IAT requires participants to categorize negative and positive words together with either images or words (Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998). Tests are taken online and must be performed as quickly as possible, the faster you categorize certain words or faces of a category, the stronger the bias you hold about that category.

For example, the Race IAT requires participants to categorizing White faces and Black faces and negative and positive words. The relative speed of association of black faces with negative words is used as an indication of the level of anti-black bias.

Professor Brian Nosek and colleagues tested more than 700,000 subjects and found that more than 70% of White subjects more easily associated White faces with positive words and Black faces with negative words, concluding that this was evidence of implicit racial bias (Nosek, Greenwald, & Banaji, 2007).

Outside of lab testing, it is very difficult to know if we do, in fact, possess these biases. The fact that they are so hard to detect is in the very nature of this form of bias, making them very dangerous in various real world settings.

How to Reduce Implicit Bias

Because of the harmful nature of implicit biases, it is critical to examine how we can begin to remove them.

Meditation

Practicing mindfulness is one potential way, as it serves to reduce the stress and cognitive load that otherwise leads to relying on such biases. A 2016 study found that brief mediation decreased unconscious bias against black people and elderly people (Lueke & Gibson, 2016), providing initial insight into the usefulness of this approach and paving the way for future research on this intervention.

Adjust your perspective

Another method is perspective taking - looking beyond your own point of view, so that you can consider how someone else may think or feel about something.

Researcher Belinda Gutierrez implemented a videogame called "Fair Play" in which players assume the role of a Black graduate student named Jamal Davis. As Jamal, players experience subtle race bias while completing "quests" to obtain a science degree.

Gutierrez hypothesized that participants who were randomly assigned to play the game would have greater empathy for Jamal and lower implicit race bias than participants randomized to read narrative text (not perspective taking) describing Jamal's experience (Gutierrez, 2014), and her hypothesis was supported, illustrating the benefits of perspective taking in increasing empathy towards outgroup members.

Training

Specific implicit bias training has been incorporated in different educational and law enforcement settings. Research has found that diversity training to overcome biases against women in STEM improved with men (Jackson, Hillard, & Schneider, 2014).

Training programs designed to target and help overcome implicit biases may also be beneficial with police officers (Plant & Peruche, 2005), but there is not enough conclusive evidence to completely support this claim. One pitfall of such training is a potential rebound effect.

By actively trying to inhibit stereotyping actually results in the bias eventually increasing more so than if it had not been initially suppressed in the first place (Macrae, Bodenhausen, Milne, & Jetten, 1994). This is very similar to the white bear problem that is discussed in many psychology curricula.

This concept refers to the psychological process whereby deliberate attempts to suppress certain thoughts make them more likely to surface (Wegner & Schneider, 2003).

Education

Education is crucial. Understanding what implicit biases are, how they can arise, how, and how to recognize them in yourself and others are all incredibly important in working towards overcoming such biases.

Learning about other cultures or outgroups and what language and behaviors may come off as offensive are critical as well. Education is a powerful tool that can extend beyond the classroom, through books, media, and conversations. On the bright side, implicit biases in the United States have been improving.

From 2007 to 2016, implicit biases have changed towards neutrality for sexual orientation, race, and skin-tone attitudes (Charlesworth & Banaji, 2019), demonstrating that it is possible to overcome these biases.

Books for further reading

As mentioned, education is extremely important. Here are a few places to get starting in learning more about implicit biases:

1. Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See Think and Do by Jennifer Eberhardt

2. Blindspot by Anthony Greenwald and Mahzarin Banaji

3. Implicit Racial Bias Across the Law by Justin Levinson and Robert Smith

About the Author

Charlotte Ruhl is a member of the Class of 2022 at Harvard University. She studies Psychology with a minor in African American Studies. On campus, Charlotte works at an implicit social cognition research lab, is an editor for the undergraduate law review, and plays softball.

"implicit bias"

"implicit gender bias"

"unconscious bias"

"implicit prejudices"

"hidden bias"

"implicit racial bias"

"cognitive bias"

"Implicit Association Test" or IAT

"implicit association"

"implicit social cognition"

APA Style References

Aboud, F. E. (1988). Children and prejudice. B. Blackwell.

Banaji, M. R., & Greenwald, A. G. (1995). Implicit gender stereotyping in judgments of fame. Journal of personality and social psychology, 68(2), 181.

Baron, A. S., Dunham, Y., Banaji, M., & Carey, S. (2014). Constraints on the acquisition of social category concepts. Journal of Cognition and Development, 15(2), 238-268.

Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination. American economic review, 94(4), 991-1013.

Cameron, J. A., Alvarez, J. M., Ruble, D. N., & Fuligni, A. J. (2001). Children's lay theories about ingroups and outgroups: Reconceptualizing research on prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5(2), 118-128.

Chapman, E. N., Kaatz, A., & Carnes, M. (2013). Physicians and implicit bias: how doctors may unwittingly perpetuate health care disparities. Journal of general internal medicine, 28(11), 1504-1510.

Charlesworth, T. E., & Banaji, M. R. (2019). Patterns of implicit and explicit attitudes: I. Long-term change and stability from 2007 to 2016. Psychological science, 30(2), 174-192.

Goff, P. A., Jackson, M. C., Di Leone, B. A. L., Culotta, C. M., & DiTomasso, N. A. (2014). The essence of innocence: consequences of dehumanizing Black children. Journal of personality and socialpsychology,106(4), 526.

Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypes. Psychological review, 102(1), 4.

Greenwald, A. G., McGhee, D. E., & Schwartz, J. L. (1998). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: the implicit association test. J ournal of personality and social psychology, 74(6), 1464.

Greenwald, A. G., & Krieger, L. H. (2006). Implicit bias: Scientific foundations. California Law Review, 94(4), 945-967.

Gutierrez, B., Kaatz, A., Chu, S., Ramirez, D., Samson-Samuel, C., & Carnes, M. (2014). "Fair Play": a videogame designed to address implicit race bias through active perspective taking. Games for health journal, 3(6), 371-378.

Jackson, S. M., Hillard, A. L., & Schneider, T. R. (2014). Using implicit bias training to improve attitudes toward women in STEM. Social Psychology of Education, 17(3), 419-438.

Johnson, T. J., Winger, D. G., Hickey, R. W., Switzer, G. E., Miller, E., Nguyen, M. B., ... & Hausmann, L. R. (2017). Comparison of physician implicit racial bias toward adults versus children. Academic pediatrics, 17(2), 120-126.

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.

Lueke, A., & Gibson, B. (2016). Brief mindfulness meditation reduces discrimination. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3(1), 34.

Macrae, C. N., Bodenhausen, G. V., Milne, A. B., & Jetten, J. (1994). Out of mind but back in sight: Stereotypes on the rebound. Journal of personality and social psychology, 67(5), 808.

Mekawi, Y., & Bresin, K. (2015). Is the evidence from racial bias shooting task studies a smoking gun? Results from a meta-analysis. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 61, 120-130.

Nosek, B. A., Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (2007). The Implicit Association Test at age 7: A methodological and conceptual review. Automatic processes in social thinking and behavior, 4, 265-292.

Pierce, C. (1970). Offensive mechanisms. The black seventies, 265-282.

Plant, E. A., & Peruche, B. M. (2005). The consequences of race for police officers' responses to criminal suspects. Psychological Science, 16(3), 180-183.

Rynders, D. (2019). Battling Implicit Bias in the IDEA to Advocate for African American Students with Disabilities. Touro L. Rev., 35, 461.

Sinclair, S., Dunn, E., & Lowery, B. (2005). The relationship between parental racial attitudes and children's implicit prejudice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41(3), 283-289.

Steffens, M. C., & Jelenec, P. (2011). Separating implicit gender stereotypes regarding math and language: Implicit ability stereotypes are self-serving for boys and men, but not for girls and women. Sex Roles, 64(5-6), 324-335.

Watson, S., Appiah, O., & Thornton, C. G. (2011). The effect of name on pre‐interview impressions and occupational stereotypes: the case of black sales job applicants. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(10), 2405-2420.

Wegner, D. M., & Schneider, D. J. (2003). The white bear story. Psychological Inquiry, 14(3-4), 326-329.

Wigboldus, D. H., Sherman, J. W., Franzese, H. L., & Knippenberg, A. V. (2004). Capacity and comprehension: Spontaneous stereotyping under cognitive load. Social Cognition, 22(3), 292-309.

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Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that can manifest in the criminal justice system, workplace, school setting, and in the healthcare system. Specifically, implicit bias refers to attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious way, making them difficult to control.

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Summary

Unconscious biases are learned assumptions, beliefs, or attitudes that we aren't necessarily aware of. While bias is a normal part of human brain function, it can often reinforce stereotypes. To combat unconscious bias, learn about different types of biases, how they might surface at work, and how to avoid them so you can build a more inclusive and diverse workplace.

Whether we realize it or not, our unconscious biases influence our professional lives, from the way we think to the way we interact with colleagues. Unconscious biases are mental shortcuts that aid decision-making as the brain processes millions of pieces of information per second.

That being said, these biases can lead to skewed judgments and reinforce stereotypes, doing more harm than good for companies when it comes to recruitment and decision-making.

It's especially important to be aware of these biases during the hiring process since they can impact the success of your future team.

To help you recognize and combat unconscious bias in the workplace, we cover 19 unconscious bias examples and prevention strategies. Taking the steps to reduce biases will help you improve inclusivity, trust, and productivity within your company.

What is unconscious bias?

Unconscious bias, also known as implicit bias, is a learned assumption, belief, or attitude that exists in the subconscious. Everyone has these biases and uses them as mental shortcuts for faster information-processing.

Implicit biases are developed over time as we accumulate life experiences and get exposed to different stereotypes.

According to the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, "These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual's awareness or intentional control."

As a result, unconscious biases can have a big influence on our limiting beliefs and behaviors. When this translates to our professional lives, it can affect the way we hire, interact with colleagues, and make business decisions.

If not properly addressed, these biases can negatively impact a company's workplace culture and team dynamics.

Although these biases are pervasive, you can reduce their impact with deliberate attention and effort. Being aware of and understanding the different types of biases that exist can help you find ways to combat them.

Leading through change: Creating clarity and building trust

In this webinar, Asana experts outline concrete tips to guide your team through uncertainty. Learn how to help employees focus on what matters.

Types of unconscious bias

Unconscious biases manifest in different ways and have varying consequences. Some biases arise from judging people's appearances, some are derived from preconceived notions, and others are borne of logical fallacies. We explore these common biases in detail below.

1. Gender bias

Gender bias, the favoring of one gender over another, is also often referred to as sexism. This bias occurs when someone unconsciously associates certain stereotypes with different genders.

This type of bias may affect recruitment practices and relationship dynamics within the company. An example of this bias during hiring is if the hiring panel favors male candidates over female candidates even though they have similar skills and job experience.

Another well-known example is the gender pay gap. As of 2021, the average median salary for men is about 18% higher than women's.

The gender bias may reduce job and career advancement opportunities for certain populations.

How to avoid gender bias

Here are some ways to create a more gender-diverse workplace:
Read: Why you should care about diversity and inclusion
2. Ageism

Ageism refers to stereotyping or discriminating against others based on their age, often happening to older team members.

Although workers ages 40 and older are protected from workplace discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, filing for a lawsuit against an employer can be a lengthy and costly process.

Because not everyone files a complaint, ageism is still a prevalent issue. An AARP survey found that about 60% of workers age 45 and older have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace.

An example of ageism is if an older team member was passed over for a promotion, which ended up going to a younger team member with less seniority and experience.

Companies that discriminate based on age may lose out on the valuable knowledge and experience that older workers bring. There may also be serious legal consequences if a team member decides to file a job discrimination lawsuit.

How to avoid ageism bias

Preventing ageism involves combatting age-related stereotypes as well as engaging older team members in the workplace. Here are some ways to do that:

Don't make assumptions based on age: For example, don't automatically presume that older workers don't know how to use technology or aren't open to learning new skills. Provide equal learning opportunities for everyone.

Foster cross-generational collaboration: Create two-way mentorship programs where a senior team member is paired with a new hire. This kind of collaboration facilitates communication between team members of different stages, which can help break down misconceptions about age.

3. Name bias

Name bias is the tendency to prefer certain names over others, usually Anglo-sounding names.

Name bias is most prevalent in recruitment. If a recruiter tends to offer interviews to candidates with Anglo-sounding names over equally qualified candidates with non-Anglo names, this bias is present.

Name bias can have a negative impact on diversity hiring and result in companies missing out on talented candidates.

How to avoid name bias

A simple solution to avoid name bias is to omit names of candidates when screening. To do this, you can:

4. Beauty bias

Beauty bias refers to the favorable treatment and positive stereotyping of individuals who are considered more attractive. This has also given rise to the term " lookism," which is discrimination based on physical appearance.

An example of beauty bias is a hiring manager who is more inclined to hire candidates they think are good-looking.

Hiring decisions should be based on skills, experience, and culture fit rather than physical appearance.

How to avoid beauty bias

Here are some ways to avoid beauty bias when screening job applicants:

5. Halo effect

The halo effect, a term coined by psychologist Edward Thorndike in the 1920s, occurs when we develop an overall positive impression of someone because of one of their qualities or traits.

This effect may lead us to inadvertently put people on a pedestal since we're constructing an image of a person based on limited information.

An example of this effect in recruitment is when a hiring manager sees that a candidate graduated from a prestigious school and assumes that they excel at their job.

This halo is based on the hiring manager's academic preferences. However, the school that someone went to doesn't necessarily determine their level of job competency.

By focusing too much on one positive trait, we may overlook negative behavior that could end up harming the company-for example, if a candidate was fired for misconduct in a previous job.

How to avoid the halo effect

To reduce the impact of the halo effect, you could try out different interviewing strategies:

6. Horns effect

The horns effect is the opposite of the halo effect. This bias causes us to have a negative impression of someone based on one trait or experience.

Putting too much weight on a single trait or interaction with someone can lead to inaccurate and unfair judgments of their character.

For example, a new team member thinks the constructive criticism they received from their manager is harsh and assumes that their manager is a critical and stern person.

If left unchecked, the horns effect can damage the cohesiveness and trust between team members.

How to avoid the horns effect

In order to reduce the horns effect when interacting with others, try to:

7. Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out and use information that confirms one's views and expectations. In other words, cherry-picking information to validate certain points.

This affects our ability to think critically and objectively, which can lead to skewed interpretations of information and overlooking information with opposing views.

For example, a product developer comes up with a product idea for the athletic market. Although market research shows little interest in the product, they try to validate the idea by reaching out to athlete friends who they know will support the idea.

Although there's gratification in validating a current idea, it's important to consider the potential consequences of following through with the idea.

How to avoid confirmation bias

Here are some ways to reduce confirmation bias:

Gather multiple sources: Whenever you're testing a hypothesis or conducting research, gather information from a wide variety of sources to get a balanced perspective.

Standardize interview questions: When recruiting new talent, come up with a list of standard interview questions to prevent asking off-topic or pointed questions that may or may not confirm your beliefs about a candidate.

Read: Inclusion starts on day one: 10 ways to build an inclusive onboarding experience
8. Conformity bias

Conformity bias is similar to groupthink, which occurs when we change our opinions or behaviors to match that of the bigger group, even if it doesn't reflect our own opinions.

This bias may occur when we encounter peer pressure or are trying to fit into a certain social group or professional environment.

For example, a team is deciding between two proposals. One person thinks proposal A is better, but the rest of the team is leaning towards proposal B. That person is swayed by their opinions and ends up voting for proposal B because everyone else did.

Although conformity can help prevent conflicts, it may also limit creativity, open discussions, and having other perspectives available.

How to avoid conformity bias

Here are some ways to help encourage honest opinions in the workplace:

9. Affinity bias

Affinity bias is also known as the similarity bias and refers to the tendency to favor people who share similar interests, backgrounds, and experiences. We tend to feel more comfortable around people who are like us.

This bias may affect hiring decisions. For example, a hiring manager gravitates towards a job applicant because they share the same alma mater.

Over time, the affinity bias in hiring can hamper a company's diversity and inclusion efforts.

How to avoid affinity bias

While eliminating affinity bias entirely may not be possible, there are ways to reduce its effects:

10. Contrast effect

We often make judgments by making comparisons. As a result, our judgments may be altered depending on what standard we're comparing something to. This is known as the contrast effect.

For instance, a team member is happy to receive a "meets expectations" on their performance review. However, they start to feel inadequate after finding out most of their colleagues got "exceeds expectations" on their reviews.

Even though they got a decent review, the team member judges themselves more critically since their comparison standard is their colleagues' results.

There can also be positive contrast effects, which occur when something is perceived to be better than usual because it's being compared to something worse.

How to avoid the contrast effect

Here are some strategies to try when using comparisons to make decisions:

Leading through change: Creating clarity and building trust

In this webinar, Asana experts outline concrete tips to guide your team through uncertainty. Learn how to help employees focus on what matters.

11. Status quo bias

This bias describes our preference for the way things are or for things to remain as they are, which can result in resistance to change.

Following the status quo is a safe option and takes less effort, but it also results in becoming stagnant. As the business landscape continues to shift, change is necessary for business longevity and innovation.

An example of the status quo bias in a company is continuing to hire team members from the same demographic group, making no effort to move forward with diversity goals.

By repeatedly engaging in the same hiring practices, you may miss out on great candidates who can bring fresh ideas and perspectives to your company.

How to avoid the status quo bias

Here are some ways you can challenge the status quo:

12. Anchor bias

Anchor bias occurs when we overly rely on the first piece of information we receive as an anchor to base our decision-making upon. This causes us to see things from a narrow perspective.

For example, the first thing a recruiter finds out about a candidate they're interviewing is that they were unemployed for the past year. The recruiter focuses on this fact rather than the candidate's solid qualifications and skills.

Instead of relying on one piece of information to make a decision, it's important to look at the whole picture.

How to avoid anchor bias

It takes time to make a thoughtful decision. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

13. Authority bias

Authority bias refers to the tendency to believe in authority figures and follow their instructions.

Generally, following a trusted authority figure with relevant expertise is a good idea. However, blindly following a leader's direction without your own critical thinking may cause future issues.

For example, if a team member unquestionably follows their manager's instructions to write a report in a way that matches the manager's opinions, this could jeopardize the integrity of the report.

When receiving instructions on an area outside of your manager's expertise, it can be worthwhile to seek additional information or expertise to minimize potential issues that may arise.

How to avoid authority bias

As with many unconscious biases, developing awareness of the bias is a good first step to countering it.
Read: Leadership vs. management: What's the difference?
Here is how to avoid being influenced by authority bias:

14. Overconfidence bias

Overconfidence bias is the tendency for people to think they are better at certain abilities and skills than they actually are.

This false assessment of our skill levels, stemming from an illusion of knowledge or control, can lead us to make rash decisions.

For instance, an overconfident CEO decides to acquire a startup that they see high potential in and believe will bring high returns even though their performance indicates otherwise.

Previous success or accomplishments may lead to an inflated ego. While leading with confidence is a good thing, it's important to not let it get in the way of logical thinking and decision-making.

How to avoid overconfidence bias
Read: How to give and take constructive criticism
Here are tips to follow when you're making decisions:

15. Perception bias

Perception bias occurs when we judge or treat others based on often inaccurate, overly simplistic stereotypes and assumptions about the group they belong in. It may involve other biases such as gender, age, and appearance.

This type of bias may result in social exclusion, discrimination, and an overall reduction of a company's diversity goals.

Say, for example, a team member doesn't invite a teammate to an after-work social event because they assumed that they wouldn't share similar interests with the group.

Perception bias can make it difficult to have an objective understanding about members from diverse groups.

How to avoid perception bias

Reducing the impact of perception bias requires recognizing your biases:

16. Illusory correlation

Illusory correlation is when we associate two variables, events, or actions together even though they're unrelated to each other.

For example, a hiring manager asks a candidate interview questions in an effort to gain insight into their personality but are unrelated to the job itself. Since the candidate struggles to come up with answers, the hiring manager decides they would not be a good fit.

These illusions can leads us to making decisions based on inaccurate correlations.

How to avoid illusory correlation bias

We may be more prone to see false correlations in circumstances that we're unfamiliar with or have little knowledge of.

Get informed: Learning more about the areas you're not familiar with can help you find evidence to support or refute the correlation.

Consider all possibilities: When you associate two things, consider the likelihood of the cause and effect. You can also use a contingency table to visualize the relationships between the cause and effect.

Here are tips to avoid making illusory correlations:

17. Affect heuristic

Heuristics are mental shortcuts that help us make decisions more efficiently. The affect heuristic occurs when we rely on our emotions to make decisions. This may help us reach a conclusion more quickly, though it may not always be accurate or fair.

For example, an interview candidate makes an off-hand comment that offends a recruiter, though that wasn't their intention. The recruiter decides to reject the candidate because they were vexed by the comment even though they were the most qualified candidate.

Since emotions may cloud your judgment, it's important not to make decisions in the heat of a moment.

How to avoid the affect heuristic bias

Here are ways to lower the influence of emotions in different circumstances:

18. Recency bias

Recency bias occurs when we attribute greater importance to recent events over past events because they're easier to remember.

This bias is more likely to occur when we have to process a large amount of information. For example, since hiring managers often review a high volume of job applications in a day, it may be harder to recall candidates screened earlier during the day.

Recency bias can also manifest during the interview process when a hiring manager becomes more inclined to make hiring decisions based on the most recent candidate they interviewed.

To overcome this bias, using techniques to strengthen your memory can be helpful.

How to avoid recency bias

Here are some tips to prevent recency bias when interviewing candidates:

19. Idiosyncratic rater bias

Idiosyncratic rater bias affects the way we evaluate the performance of others. We often rate others based on our subjective interpretations of the assessment criteria and our own definition of what "success" looks like.

In other words, we're generally unreliable when it comes to rating other people. Research has found that about 60% of a manager's rating is a reflection of the manager rather than the team member they're rating.
Read: 25 essential project management skills you need to succeed
For example, a manager who excels at project management has higher standards for this skill and gives harsher ratings to team members for this skill. On the other hand, the manager is more lenient when rating team members' marketing skills because they are less familiar with that area.

Sources of rater bias may come from other biases, such as the halo effect, affinity bias, and confirmation bias.

How to avoid idiosyncratic rater bias

Here are some strategies to avoid this bias when doing performance reviews:

Why it's important to tackle unconscious biases

As these examples show, unconscious biases can hinder decision-making, impact team dynamics and leadership styles, and limit company diversity. This, in turn, can reduce equal opportunities for team members and job applicants.

Tackling unconscious biases can help address these issues, as well as improve company diversity.

1. Increasing company profitability: Teams that have solid problem-solving and decision-making skills can bring a competitive advantage to a company. For example, a McKinsey study found that gender-diverse companies were 21% more likely to gain above-average profitability.

2. Attracting diverse talent through inclusive hiring practices: By implementing inclusive recruitment strategies, companies are able to reach out to a wider talent pool. Job seekers would also be more likely to apply to companies that prioritize diversity.

3. Increasing innovation: Diverse teams can bring a variety of fresh ideas to the table, allowing teams to come up with creative solutions that can drive sales. For example, a study by the Boston Consulting Group found that companies with diverse management teams bring 19% higher innovation revenue.

4. Boosting company productivity: University research found that tech firms with diverse management teams have 1.32 times higher levels of productivity. Increased productivity can lead to more efficient project management and implementation.

5. Encouraging higher employee engagement: Deloitte research showed that company diversity is directly related to employee engagement. Higher employee engagement can lead to higher job satisfaction, which in turn, can lower the turnover rate.

6. Making fair and more efficient business decisions: Inclusive teams can make better business decisions up to 87% of the time. These business decisions can help improve a company's performance and revenue.

Read: Asana's approach to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity
Increased company diversity can bring additional benefits such as:

Be conscious of your unconscious biases

The good news: Once you're aware of your unconscious biases, you can take steps to mitigate their effects. By taking micro-steps such as revamping your interview questions template and encouraging cross-team collaboration, you're working towards a more diverse and inclusive workplace environment for you and your team.

Leading through change: Creating clarity and building trust

In this webinar, Asana experts outline concrete tips to guide your team through uncertainty. Learn how to help employees focus on what matters.

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19 Unconscious Bias Examples and How to Prevent Them [2023] * Asana

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Unconscious biases can lead to unfair judgments and decision-making in the workplace. Our guide covers unconscious bias examples and how to overcome them.