I get confused about what a bias is. Is it the same as stereotyping or prejudice. Just exactly what is a bias?

A bias is an “inflexible belief about a particular category of people.” For purposes of my work, I use “bias” to encompass what most people think of as “stereotypes,” “prejudices,” and that long list of “isms” that plague our workplaces on a daily basis. From sexism to racism to ageism and lookism, bias is a problem we all share.

The tricky thing about biases is that they can be about good or bad qualities. It is as biased to assume, “All Asians are good at math” as it is to believe “All men are sexist.” Whether a good generality or bad, biases are characterized by an inflexibility that leaves the target of the bias inaccurately perceived and, in most cases, badly misunderstood. My boss seems to think that dealing with bias in our workplace is unrelated to our business goals. Is she right?

My boss seems to think that dealing with bias in our workplace is unrelated to our business goals. Is she right?

Yes, your boss is right IF she doesn’t need her teams to function effectively together, IF she doesn’t need people to feel comfortable voicing their ideas, and IF the company has a budget and a reputation that can bear the cost of bias-related discrimination suits.

Obviously that is an obnoxiously sarcastic answer. In fact, your boss is very very wrong. It is impossible to list all the ways in which a bias-free workplace is a profitable workplace in this short space. I could go on about the expensive time managers spend diffusing bias-induced conflict, the cost of discrimination suits, and the price of losing valuable employees because of an inhospitable environment. I would rather, however, focus these few lines on a positive reason why reducing bias is beneficial to business: Innovation.

Dozens of studies – some of which are highlighted in the August/September 2006 issue of Scientific American Mind – have recently found that diversity, if properly managed, increases innovation. One of the key elements of “properly managed” is the creation of a workplace in which biases are minimal and people, therefore, feel comfortable voicing their ideas. In short, a bias-free workplace is one in which ideas and, therefore, profits have the opportunity to blossom.

I tend to think of biases as something only fully-abled white people have. Is that true?

Actually, this is one of the most common misconceptions about bias. Anyone from any group can have a bias. The reason that the biases of white people get so much deserved negative press is that, in most situations, the so-called white “majority” has more power than members of emerging groups. Because of that power, biases held by the white majority are capable of inflicting the greatest damage.

This is not to say, however, that we all don’t need to work on our biases. to work on our biases. No matter our race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability, we are all capable of bias. Mark, for example, is a man in a wheel chair who has a virulent bias against all fully-abled people. Mark believes that “All fully-abled people look down upon and patronize those who have disabilities.” In short, Mark feels that people who do not have disabilities are biased against those who do.

In the book Making Diversity Work, I call Mark’s bias the “bias bias” and, as I say in Chapter IV:

This misbelief—that all members of a given group are biased—is perhaps the only prejudice that is actually tolerated in the workplace. That toleration is unfortunate because by putting up with the bias that ‘All men are sexist’ or ‘All white people are racist’ or, as in Mark’s case ‘All fully-abled people look down on people with disabilities,’ we promote the notion that some biases are acceptable and others are not.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Biases are destructive no matter who has them and no matter toward whom they are directed.

How can you tell if a given act is indeed a bias? This is really important for me to know in the workplace.

This brings us to another misunderstandings about bias.

A bias is an attitude, not a behavior.

There is no such thing as a “biased action” only actions that, to a greater or lesser degree of certainty, hint at the possibility of a biased attitude. On top of that, just because a word or action is consistent with a biased attitude, does not necessarily mean it actually reflects a biased attitude. Just like in a court of law “consistent with” is by no means the same as “proof of.”

There are, of course, workplace behaviors that are intolerable and must be stopped whether or not the person actually is biased. It is time, however, that we stop playing mind-reader when we observe an act inappropriate. We need to recognize, for example, that a word miss-used out of ignorance is different and requires a different intervention than does a deliberate utterance designed to make a colleague feel diminished and excluded.

Most people feel that biases are so deeply-engrained that they can’t be fixed. I gather from your speaking topic, you don’t feel that way. Why?

Let me answer this with a quote from Making Diversity Work. In the Introduction, I address this issue by pointing out that we aren’t born biased.

There is no genetic predisposition to bias, no bias gene rides on our chromosomes, there is no DNA test that can identify who is biased and who is not. Bias is learned. It is an acquired habit of thought rooted in fear and fueled by conditioning and, as such, can be unacquired and deconditioned.

There are, of course, some biases that are so deeply imbedded in the mosaic of our minds that it would take a jackhammer to dislodge them. Most biases, however, because they are acquired, can be changed. I believe that through awareness, knowledge, and plain old-fashioned effort, we can, at the very least, reduce our biases to the point where they have a minimal influence on our lives and work.

Those who argue that biases can’t be fixed say that they are an intrinsic part of human nature (whatever that is) and, therefore, impossible to eradicate. Every time I hear the phrase "human nature," or hear someone say "We're only human," my hackles go up. To say that an attitude is only human implies that to be human is to be incapable of change; it connotes that there's not a darn thing we can do to improve ourselves or our attitudes. I am more optimistic than that.

In order, however, for change to occur, we must recognize that bias is little more than a conditioned way of thinking created by imagined necessity and perpetuated by repetition. Once we realize that, the next step is to undergo a program of awareness, exploration, and practice. That is what my work is all about.

For more information about bias and how to reduce it, see Sondra’s book, Making Diversity Work: Seven Steps for Defeating Bias in the Workplace

Contact Sondra’s office if you have other questions about
how to reduce bias in your workplace.

To check on Sondra’s availability or to receive additional information including a demonstration tape and references, please contact the bureau who sent you to this site or:

Joan Pierce
Marketing Director
Cross-Cultural Communications
4585 48th Street
San Diego, CA 92115
Phone: 619-583-4478 / 800-858-4478
Fax: 619-583-0304
E-mail: STPhD@Thiederman.com