- Now, let's talk about the cycle of bias and its different types. The first type of bias, and the one that we will focus on today, is individual. This type of bias affects experiences and perspectives and how we interact interpersonally. Organizational bias can affect policies, programs, practices, and people within the organization it is present. Structural bias refers to the inherent bias in systems and institutions, such as education, criminal justice, health, and the media. And finally, social bias refers to the societal and cultural norms that determine the haves and the have-nots in our culture. As I mentioned, we will focus on individual bias for the purposes of this discussion, and how it affects our interactions. While there are many more types of bias than we'll explore today, I'd like to make you aware of six, that can have a particular impact on one critical element of organizational operations directly associated with opportunity, access and expansion: hiring and promotions. Any of these types of bias can affect evaluation and review of resumes, how interviews are conducted, and ultimately how personnel decisions are made. The first type of bias we'll explore is affinity bias. It's just what you think. Similarity bias or the tendency people have to connect with others who share similar interests, experiences, and backgrounds. This is also why employee resource groups, or ERGs, are also called affinity groups, as they afford an opportunity for those who have identity based similarities to build community, or bonding capital. In a job seeking setting this may yield an affinity for those who are more like you. Confirmation bias is the inclination to draw conclusions about a situation or person based on your personal desires, beliefs, and prejudices, rather than on unbiased merit. For example, if you have one candidate that went to a Historically Black College and university, such as Howard, Morehouse, or Spelman, and another that went to the Alma Mater of your favorite sports team, you may conclude that the graduate from your favorite school is the better candidate, even if they're not as qualified. Attribution bias has to do with past interactions. This is judging a person's behavior on prior observations and interactions you've had with them, which influences your perception of them. Maybe the person sitting in front of you for an interview, you recognize as having taken a parking spot, for what you had on your turn signal, made you late for a meeting that day and you've cursed them (laughs) ever since. Or you were in a meeting with a job candidate that vehemently opposed one of your ideas, and effected your ability to work on a coveted project. Would you be able to not hold that against them in an interview? Conformity bias is a lot like group-think or peer pressure. It's the tendency to act similarly to the people around you, regardless of your own personal beliefs. This is the kind of bias our parents and guardians warned us about, right? Don't just go along with the crowd, be a leader and have your own mind. But when you are the lone outlier in a critical discussion about a candidate, could you hold your ground? Now let's examine the halo/horns effect, which is just like it sounds. The halo effect is the tendency towards placing another person on a pedestal after learning something impressive about them. Maybe you learned that a candidate finished their degree in a short amount of time, while working two jobs. However, that could also have the horns effect for some people who may think the need to work two jobs is something unpleasant or negative because of their socioeconomic status. The key is to know within you, which things may yield such a response, whether positive or negative. And finally, we have the contrast effect, which in my humble opinion is the most common in job seeking situations, at least from my perspective. This occurs when comparing two or more things that you have come into contact with, either simultaneously or one after the other, which causes you to exaggerate the performance of one in contrast to the other. So what do you think? Can you think of an example of this happening? Have you been on the receiving end of one or more of these types of biases? What was the impact? Perhaps upon reflection you may realize bias has crept into some of your interactions. Or maybe not. Perhaps you think you're immune to biases? And all that information about snap judgements in the brain doesn't apply to you. Well, let's take a peek into our own minds with the Implicit Association Test.
