Recognising our unconscious defaults
We all have viewpoints and express opinions in our daily interactions. This is the basis of how workplace culture is formed.
And in this way, no one is uniquely immune to experiencing the attitudes and beliefs of another. Even through our decision-making and subconscious actions we can adversely impact others.
But how many of us pause from the daily grind to consider the impact of our unconscious bias and belief systems. These beliefs influence the decisions we make and the words we choose when talking with others.
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What is Unconscious Bias?
Unconscious bias is a set of mental shortcuts we all use to make quick decisions and to detect threats.
It’s something we all have and use daily. We filter information continuously, and our ability to use bias helps us make thousands of decisions all day long.
So where does this come from?
Research shows many biases are formed throughout life and held at the subconscious level. Many of them form as a result of cultural, societal, and familial conditioning. They’re shaped by millions of bits of information.
For instance, our brain processes and unconsciously formats this information into familiar patterns. These factors influence the assessments we make of people, often forming the basis of our relationship with others and the world around us.
Building cultures of trust starts with self-reflection.
Inequity, exclusion, and other forms of unresolved conflict damage workplace culture and relationships.
Because of this, we can each play a role in transforming systems and cultures. We must first reflect on our own attitudes, beliefs, habits, practices, and ways of working. It’s what sharpens our reflexes.
This requires a shift in thinking. Instead of asking ‘how can I fix this problem?’, we ask:
Exploring power and relationships
We can better understand how power dynamics play out with reflexivity. In practice, it helps us recognise and interrupt our own privilege, power, and bias.
Power dynamics aren’t bad, they just are… and they exist in every interaction. They’re a part of every relationship, including romantic partners, family members, colleagues, and within communities. And we all contribute to them.
A great place to start is to recognise and interrupt our default people.
Think of a person – who do you picture?
How would you describe this person — what do they look like?
If we introduce the context of your workplace — you’ve just heard a new CEO has been appointed — who do you picture?
How about new office administrator, programming graduate or HR business partner?
Might your default person be an indigenous woman? A woman of colour from a culturally diverse background? Or an LGBTQIA+ person from a culturally diverse background with a disability?
Intersectionality; a different lens
US feminist legal scholar – Kimberlé Crenshaw argues we can’t separate out our identities neatly into categories.
It’s not simply that there’s a race problem here, or a gender problem there, or a class, or LGBTIQ+ problem. Because people don’t live their lives like that. Instead, our identities are all interconnected.
Crenshaw defines Intersectionality as a lens through which you can see where multiple forms of inequality. One that sees compounding disadvantages and unbalanced power creating obstacles for people, especially those most marginalised.
Identify who holds power within an interaction or relationship across intersecting identities, and you’ll better see how power impacts someone’s disadvantage.
We can’t change outcomes until we understand how they come about.
Kimberlé Crenshaw
This means, prepare to strengthen your reflexes. Get curious, ask genuine and appreciative questions. From here, you can learn about a person’s experience and perspective.
Recap: Recognising our unconscious bias
- Unconscious bias is a set of mental shortcuts we all use to make quick decisions and detect threats.
- You must reflect on our own attitudes, beliefs, habits, practices and ways of working to maintain workplace culture and relationships.
- You can ask: How might I be contributing to this problem?
- When you identify who holds power within an interaction, you can better see how power impacts someone’s disadvantage.
Next Step
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Resources
To continue your exploration, check out these resources:
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