Ten Tips to Manage Biases in a Chaotic World
Managing biases in a chaotic world is crucial for clear thinking, effective decision-making, and building a more inclusive and understanding society. The first thing is to deal with “Unconscious Biases” because these are often used as excuses for damaging behavior.
“Unconscious bias” refers to the automatic judgments or decisions we make about people or situations based on our previous experiences, cultural environment, and background without being consciously aware of them. These biases span race, gender, age, appearance, religion, social class, etc.
Here’s an overview of the reality of unconscious biases:
Everyone Has Them: No one is exempt from unconscious biases. They are a natural byproduct of the brain’s attempt to quickly process vast amounts of information. Often, the brain relies on patterns and shortcuts based on our past experiences and cultural norms to behave a certain way. However, the influences by some history or experience can tint our views drastically if they are taken out of perspective.
Formation: These biases are often formed at a very young age and are influenced by our upbringing, media, culture, and personal experiences. Unfortunately, I also believe that social media in the current state is responsible for misinformation or disinformation that confirms a bias once someone has recognized it, thereby providing ammunition for continuing the behavior.
Influence on Behavior: Unconscious biases can influence decisions in various aspects of life, including recruitment, performance evaluations, law enforcement, healthcare, and daily interactions. They can lead to preferential treatment or discrimination, even if unintentional.
Not Always Negative: While we often focus on the negative impact of unconscious biases, they can also be benign or positive. For example, being biased towards associating “fluffy” with “soft” is relatively neutral, or running from a hostile environment in time of danger becomes a positive response. However, biases become problematic when they perpetuate stereotypes or unfair treatment.
Detecting and Addressing Unconscious Bias: Because these biases operate below conscious awareness, they can be challenging to see in oneself. Tools like the Implicit Association Test (IAT) have been developed to help reveal them, although their results and processes have been challenged. Training, self-awareness, diverse experiences, and exposure to different cultures or groups can also help mitigate their effects.
Limitations of Current Understanding: While research has shed light on unconscious biases, it is a complex study area. For instance, the IAT, often used to measure implicit biases, has faced criticism regarding its reliability and predictive validity. Nonetheless, the overarching concept of unconscious bias remains valuable in understanding human cognition and behavior.
Impact on Society: On a larger scale, when biases are widespread or systemic, they can contribute to societal inequalities and injustices. Recognizing and addressing these biases in institutions, organizations, and communities is crucial to creating a fair and equitable society.
Unconscious biases are a genuine and integral part of human cognition. While they can serve a purpose in helping us navigate the world more efficiently, they also have the potential to lead to unfair judgments and decisions. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential for personal growth and societal progress.
Here are ten tips to help you manage biases:
Awareness: Recognize that everyone has biases. Awareness is the first step towards managing them. Regularly reflecting on your actions and decisions can help uncover latent biases. Self-awareness is critical for any self-development, so digging deeper to understand biases is vital.
Educate Yourself: Read books articles, or attend workshops about cognitive biases and their impact. The more you know about the different types of biases, the better you’ll be able to address them. The number of biases grows as scientists continue investigating consciousness and personal cognition. Read all sides of the discussions, then reflect on your situation so you can help define what is best for you.
Diverse Interactions: Surround yourself with a diverse group of people. Engaging with people from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives can challenge your pre-existing beliefs and reduce your biases. Being inclusive of other people in discussions will provide you with a broad view of the world and how it fits into your realm if you allow it.
Seek Honest Advice: Ask trusted friends, family, or colleagues about your behavior and decisions. Sometimes, others can see our biases that we cannot see in ourselves. I prefer to use the word advice rather than feedback because we expect facts, however, the latter can be open for interpretation by either party. Advise is more human and can be judged on the relationship between the parties better.
Avoid Jumping to Conclusions: Making snap judgments in a fast-paced world is easy. Take a moment to pause, reflect, and gather more information before concluding. Ensure you understand every interaction’s impact, cost, and potential before engaging, especially in business. While personal interactions are significant, business relationships impact others within the organization, so the ramifications are multiplied if the impact is negative.
Fact-checking: In the age of misinformation, always verify the information before forming an opinion. Rely on credible sources and avoid echo chambers that only reinforce existing beliefs. If you don’t know where to find resources, ask the advice of a colleague or friend you trust.
Empathy and Active Listening: Try to understand others’ perspectives deeply. Listen actively without immediately jumping to conclusions or getting defensive. It is often said that we listen to respond more often than we listen to understand, and that has risen to catastrophic heights in today’s world, personally, in business, and government. Time for a change.
Mindfulness, Prayer, and Meditation: Regular practices can increase self-awareness and reduce reactive behaviors stemming from biases. This is often considered a mamby pamby topic in business and government today. However, protecting our intellectual, emotional, and spiritual selves is vital.
Challenge Stereotypes: When you notice a stereotype emerging in your thinking or hear it from others, challenge it. Ask yourself if that belief is based on evidence or just an assumption. If there is any hint that a bias is at work, dig deep to understand it. Validate the reality and facts based on investigation, not reaction.
Commit to Continuous Improvement: Managing biases is a lifelong journey. Commit to continuously improving yourself, learning from your mistakes, and striving for a more unbiased perspective. Anyone who tells you that continuous self-improvement is easy lies or tries to rip you off. There is nothing easy about this process. It takes time, effort, honesty, and integrity to continually review the who, what, and whys of our lives so we can address shortfalls and engage in positive reinforcement in the positive realms.
Remember, biases are deeply ingrained, often stemming from societal norms, personal experiences, or survival mechanisms from our ancestral past. While it’s challenging to eliminate them, being proactive in recognizing and managing them can help us navigate a chaotic world more effectively and equitably.
Understanding our biases, social perceptions, self-fulfilling prophecies, embedded stereotypes, and prejudice is vital to building an inclusive and diverse business, government, and personal life. So, the choice is up to you. Either you can embark on self-discovery or hide in a cave.
