Implicit biases are not inherently permanent, and steps can be taken to address their impacts both on a personal and organizational level. Many companies provide implicit bias training, which is necessary but lacks long-term solutions, offering workers to consistently keep their biases in check which requires significant cognitive energy and people go back to the old habits. Organizations can address implicit bias is to organizing structures and systems that emphasize true diversity, not a superficial appearance of it. This ranges from using anonymous resume screening in hiring to improving accountability and reporting practices. Using a simple but proven diversity audit of an organization on a regular basis can be helpful in keeping accountability to diversity practices (Agarwal, 2018). It is important to address implicit biases since it often produces hidden costs for the organization. Implicit bias can lead to poor decision-making, internal conflict, lack of trust, the potential for lawsuits, and a lack of diversity within a company that indirectly stifles productivity, innovation, and creativity in the workplace (Dalton & Villagran, 2018). Such factors make it vital for many companies to focus on their internal culture as a key element of their business success.
Although the terms diversity and inclusion are used interchangeably, they indicate different meanings. Diversity represents the characteristics of those involved in the organization, such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other demographic or identifying information. Inclusion refers more to practices and methods used to embrace diversity, procedures implemented to integrate everyone in the workplace so that employees can co-exist in a mutually peaceful and beneficial manner (Arruda, 2016). Therefore, an organization can create a highly diverse team by hiring a variety of new employees to meet the required legal or social guidelines, but the workplace will not be included unless there is a culture and policies that promote acceptance and collaboration while condemning biases among these team members.
The practice that is repeatedly utilized but fails in organizations is the use of diversity training. The training theoretically seeks to reduce bias by introducing tools such as hiring tests, performance ratings, and grievance systems. However, research and practical experience demonstrate that this forceful approach is ineffective and can have the opposite effect at times as people tend to rebel against rules that are coerced. Diversity training seeks to “outlaw bias” which is impossible, and often creates a culture of shaming or blaming the minorities in the company who are singled out during training in one manner or another as the ‘token employee’ for official records. Firms see adverse effects of diversity and often use negative messaging in the training by highlighting legal aspects and settlements that simply threats the employees against discrimination (Dobbin & Kalev, 2016). However, real change to social motivations does not occur through typical diversity training.
HRM practices have grown beyond typical affirmative action and equal employment opportunity practices and seek to conduct targeted interventions to address diversity. First, HRM can establish transparent and formalized personnel practices that emphasize objectivity. Research shows organizations with formalized HR practices have higher percentages of women and minorities in management. Since organizational change begins with individuals, HRM practices aimed at changing employee attitudes are vital. Implementing mentoring programs has been found to be successful by building rapport as well as helping to advance under-represented demographic groups through the ‘glass ceilings’ of the specific organization (Kossek, Lobel, & Brown, 2006).
Managers can encourage collaboration on projects and programs is also important as it links employees within the organization as well as towards the wider community, helping to create positive images and ties, particularly of commonly stereotyped groups. In order to block implicit biases, the assumptions to the stereotypes need to be challenged. For this, personal contact is important as well as during collaboration, managers and team members can see the additive contribution of minorities, potentially eliminating existing biased perceptions (Mackenzie & Correll, 2018).
References
Agarwal, P. (2018). Here is why organizations need to be conscious of unconscious bias. Forbes.
Arruda, W. (2016). The difference between diversity and inclusion and why it is important to your success. Forbes.
Dalton, S., & Villagran, M. (2018). Minimizing and addressing implicit bias in the workplace. College & Research Libraries News, 79(9), 478.
Dobbin, F., & Kalev, A. (2018). Why diversity programs fail. Harvard Business Review.
Kossek, E. E., Lobel, S. A., & Brown, J. (2006). Chapter 3: Human resource strategies to manage workforce diversity: Examining ‘the business case’. In A.M. Konrad, P. Prasad, & Pringle, J. K. (eds.). Handbook of workplace diversity. SAGE.
Mackenzie, L., & Correll, S. J. (2018). Two powerful ways managers can curb implicit biases. Harvard Business Review.