ºÝºÝߣ

ºÝºÝߣShare a Scribd company logo

How to eliminate bias from thinking

?Download as DOCX, PDF?
?
Bijay Sahoo
Bijay Sahoo

Whether you are aware of it or not, biases affect the way we interpret, cope and deal with information or challenges. Based on our background, personal experiences, society or culture, our thoughts and experiences colour our view of the world and the challenges we face. How many of us are aware that biases do not always help us make the right decisions?

1 of 2
Download to read offline
How To Eliminate Bias From Thinking Whether you are aware of it or not, biases affect the way we interpret, cope and deal with information or challenges. Based on our background, personal experiences, society or culture, our thoughts and experiences colour our view of the world and the challenges we face. How many of us are aware that biases do not always help us make the right decisions? Biases at Work Unconscious biases may have a harmful effect on businesses. In the past, all that was required was having employees at the level of a socialized state, conforming to the norms and cultures of the working environment. People relied on their own instincts to function and made decisions but could rarely find the time to introspect. Traditional concepts no longer not apply to management and leadership even though they still dominate our thinking and business practice. Biases can be triggered automatically while making quick judgements about people and situations and ignore certain rational and beneficial thoughts. In a recruitment scenario, it is often heard that recruitment decisions are made in the first few minutes of communication. This applies to intuition as well, where managers trust their gut feeling based on incomplete information. Unconsciously, our decisions are based upon past experiences, but have we ever thought about whether they are still relevant? For example, when the person is obese, we prescribe the diet control and exercise management without verifying the facts, but have we ever considered the connection between obesity and loneliness? As studies like this show, loneliness has long been associated with obesity. On the other hand, highly sociable people hate to hurt others¡¯ feelings by refusing when offered food. In this very simple example, how relevant is the solution when we prescribe diet management and exercise, without getting complete information? There have been instances where the obese person after losing weight again gains weight. Hence, the example highlights the fact that much of the problem in our society is not merely a technical challenge but rather a behavioral challenge which calls for a different perspective of the solution i.e. removing the hidden biases. Misdirected Immune Systems As an analogy, our immune system can sometimes misinterpret a new material, internal or external, as a threat and negatively impact our bodies. It does not mean that our immune system is less focused on protecting us. It is just mistaken in knowing what it is protecting us from. Employees listen to feedback and sincerely commit to making changes. Despite the higher level of emotional energy in the commitment, they show very little change after a year has passed. In the boardroom, several functional heads commit to plans but in most cases, there is an excuse for not completing the goal. Despite being committed in the presence of others, they lose focus as seem to have equally opposite commitments/forces (biases) which hinder the achievement of the goal. It must be noted that all hidden biases are based on certain assumptions. One can structurally question those assumptions and realize that these assumptions are no longer valid. Thus, training your internal system can work wonders. At a personal level, how many of us might realise that a patient in their 20s needs to take medications for Hypertension? Even though we realize that these medications are vital, the biases pertaining to hypertension are associated with a higher age bracket in which hypertension is more common, leading us to reject the solution. Conclusion
Organizations are spending enormous sums of money and time to evaluate how they can improve processes by growing the capabilities of their staff and employees. Stay focused on your job and what makes you successful at it and try to filter out information that could influence your decision. Until we understand correctly understand the problem, we cannot decide upon commitments that make obstructive behaviors thrive. We need to uncover and address the problem as an immunity to change and the way the mind protects itself from accomplishing our goals. Whether it is for yourself or others, admitting to the existence of bias at the workplace and encouraging others to do so as well makes it easier to identify and deal with it in a timely manner.

More Related Content

How to eliminate bias from thinking

  • 1. How To Eliminate Bias From Thinking Whether you are aware of it or not, biases affect the way we interpret, cope and deal with information or challenges. Based on our background, personal experiences, society or culture, our thoughts and experiences colour our view of the world and the challenges we face. How many of us are aware that biases do not always help us make the right decisions? Biases at Work Unconscious biases may have a harmful effect on businesses. In the past, all that was required was having employees at the level of a socialized state, conforming to the norms and cultures of the working environment. People relied on their own instincts to function and made decisions but could rarely find the time to introspect. Traditional concepts no longer not apply to management and leadership even though they still dominate our thinking and business practice. Biases can be triggered automatically while making quick judgements about people and situations and ignore certain rational and beneficial thoughts. In a recruitment scenario, it is often heard that recruitment decisions are made in the first few minutes of communication. This applies to intuition as well, where managers trust their gut feeling based on incomplete information. Unconsciously, our decisions are based upon past experiences, but have we ever thought about whether they are still relevant? For example, when the person is obese, we prescribe the diet control and exercise management without verifying the facts, but have we ever considered the connection between obesity and loneliness? As studies like this show, loneliness has long been associated with obesity. On the other hand, highly sociable people hate to hurt others¡¯ feelings by refusing when offered food. In this very simple example, how relevant is the solution when we prescribe diet management and exercise, without getting complete information? There have been instances where the obese person after losing weight again gains weight. Hence, the example highlights the fact that much of the problem in our society is not merely a technical challenge but rather a behavioral challenge which calls for a different perspective of the solution i.e. removing the hidden biases. Misdirected Immune Systems As an analogy, our immune system can sometimes misinterpret a new material, internal or external, as a threat and negatively impact our bodies. It does not mean that our immune system is less focused on protecting us. It is just mistaken in knowing what it is protecting us from. Employees listen to feedback and sincerely commit to making changes. Despite the higher level of emotional energy in the commitment, they show very little change after a year has passed. In the boardroom, several functional heads commit to plans but in most cases, there is an excuse for not completing the goal. Despite being committed in the presence of others, they lose focus as seem to have equally opposite commitments/forces (biases) which hinder the achievement of the goal. It must be noted that all hidden biases are based on certain assumptions. One can structurally question those assumptions and realize that these assumptions are no longer valid. Thus, training your internal system can work wonders. At a personal level, how many of us might realise that a patient in their 20s needs to take medications for Hypertension? Even though we realize that these medications are vital, the biases pertaining to hypertension are associated with a higher age bracket in which hypertension is more common, leading us to reject the solution. Conclusion
  • 2. Organizations are spending enormous sums of money and time to evaluate how they can improve processes by growing the capabilities of their staff and employees. Stay focused on your job and what makes you successful at it and try to filter out information that could influence your decision. Until we understand correctly understand the problem, we cannot decide upon commitments that make obstructive behaviors thrive. We need to uncover and address the problem as an immunity to change and the way the mind protects itself from accomplishing our goals. Whether it is for yourself or others, admitting to the existence of bias at the workplace and encouraging others to do so as well makes it easier to identify and deal with it in a timely manner.