How can you create a culture of accountability around unconscious bias?

Unconscious bias prevails without our realisation and ever present at the back of our minds - It reflects in our reactions towards specific individuals / groups, without us realising our own behaviour change.. One of my senior once corrected me (indebted to him for this), when one such bias of mine came as a reaction.. His nuggets of wisdom to me “Everyone working in our periphery is a hero at home - Someone’s spouse / parent, and, if he / she can manage elements so efficiently to become a star with their own families, there’s no doubt that the person is extraordinarily capable & worthy of respect “. This dialogue helped me significantly with my biases at work. Cognitive Realisation can be a great tool for eliminating unconscious bias.

Yes, self awareness is the best awareness. One need to assess his/her biases and try to overcome it. The first step in any improvement action is to be aware of shortfall or limitation.

I agree with this statement, it starts with you identifying and understanding that you can also be biased. Sometimes it is because of a past experience or encounter but we need to remind ourselves, no two persons are the same. Maybe similar, but never the same. And allowing oneself to accept being evaluated by another person. Self acknowledgment does not always bring about the change we hope for, we need others to point it out for that change to occur.

This should be driven from the top. Leaders must show commitment to address unconscious bias and should participate in the discussions and employee awareness training sessions.

Best way to overcome unconscious bias is to rely on facts. Many managers rely more on feedback from other stakeholders without verifying the reality on the ground. Reason being it is easier and requires less effort. To overcome unconscious bias leader has to make extra effort to dig out reality at the ground and rely more on what data shows. Overcoming unconscious bias requires an effort and leader has to make it a priority to ensure fairness in the work environment.

I think role playing or sharing customer/individuals stories is an important part of this. We are inundated with boring HR education these days, this training should allow teams to walk a day in someone else’s shoes. Understanding unconscious bias goes hand in hand with DEI, we have to first understand and acknowledge others struggles and then second reflect on how we impact those stories.

To avoid any kind of friction with your subordinates or between team members, this is the most important aspect one needs to tackle. Embracing accountability cultivates a culture of responsibility where team members can take ownership of their actions & and outcomes and is highly dependent on the comfort zone a manager has with his/her team members.

You do not know, what you do not know. So first we have to learn what kind of biases we have ourselves. We also need to create psychological safety. Both the one with the bias and the one who feels there is bias against them, should be able to discuss this in a safe way. And through doing we will learn. Also very important to look at other perspectives (eg. how could someone maybe interpret this differently).

We created a one pager to remind people about unconscious biases and we distribute it with resumes and interview guides to try and create awareness in the hiring phase.

No two human beings are the same and one needs to also keep in mind that while setting expectations between team members, one rule for all may not work as desired. There will be a need to customise a bit as per individual or situation to guide them effectively.

In my experience, effective communication is the most important out of all of them - Sharing your vision, values, goals, and expectations through multiple channels including but not limited to company-wide meetings, emails, or training sessions.

Again, if you are an organization that is actively listening to and collecting both employee and customer stories (positive and negative), you should be able to “hear” the difference of the intervention you put in place.

In addition to rewarding positive behaviors, reacting the negative examples on time and on place can be beneficial to prevent the spread of unconscious bias.

In addition to the celebration it should also be very clear to all that non inclusion/discrimination is not accepted in the company.

To promote a culture of accountability around unconscious bias, it's crucial to celebrate and reward diversity and inclusion. Recognize and reward individuals and teams who actively contribute to these efforts, no matter what their job is within the company. This sends a clear message that diversity and inclusion are valued, fostering a more inclusive workplace and happier employees.

Your team's much influenced by the actions you take. So, if you are fair and truthful towards work and system and standby your words, you will definitely leave a positive impact on your team members. To create a work culture of non-biasness you should take fair decision and things will fall right on place.

Creating a culture of accountability around unconscious bias involves fostering awareness, education, and action. Start by conducting training sessions that uncover these biases and their impacts. Encourage open dialogue, allowing team members to share experiences and perspectives. Implement diverse hiring and promotion practices. Regularly review and update company policies to ensure fairness. Provide channels for reporting and addressing bias incidents. Promote diverse leadership, as representation at the top can drive change throughout. By combining awareness with action, organizations can mitigate unconscious biases and promote a more inclusive environment.