Unconscious Bias is an association or attitude about a person or social group that, while not plainly expressed, operates beyond our control and awareness, informs our perceptions, and can influence our decision-making and behavior. It exists in each person’s worldview and affects our actions from the classroom to the workplace. And while we may not be conscious of our own biases, many of those around us do perceive them. As a result, unconscious bias creates barriers to inclusion, performance, engagement, and innovation. Though we cannot completely rid ourselves of unconscious bias, learning how to mitigate its impact is a skill that all of us can learn.
Catalyst Resources on Unconscious Bias
Blogs
- 11 Harmful Types of Unconscious Bias and How to Interrupt Them
- 5 Ways to Identify Effective Unconscious Bias Training
- Artificial Intelligence: The New Frontier for Confronting Gender Bias
- Sharing Failures Leads to Learning Opportunities for All
Practices
- Boston Scientific: Accelerating Progress for Women by Creating Equal Opportunities for Growth Supporter Exclusive
To reach an even wider audience, Boston Scientific instituted a required online unconscious bias training—available in 18 languages—to help employees reflect and recognize their own biases and embrace DEI efforts. To date, 98.6% of employees have completed this training. The company also created an online Inclusion Toolkit that offers employees on-demand content, including an inclusive behaviors self-assessment, manager skill-building resources, and educational anti-racism resources.
- Parexel: Leveraging Gender Partnership to Advance Women in Leadership Supporter Exclusive
The first step was to educate leadership in such a way that they would feel personally committed to making this change—by sitting across the table and telling them that their unconscious bias was impacting the company’s ability to benefit from the contributions of many highly-qualified candidates. DEI leadership arranged a series of talks from outside speakers and invited senior leaders to attend; this effectively constituted some of the company’s first unconscious bias and inclusion training. - The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)—Women@BCG Supporter Exclusive
BCG also implemented many programs and activities that promote awareness and affiliation, including Unconscious Bias training that was mandatory for all Partners and Principals, as well as leaders who managed key people processes (such as recruitment and learning and development). Over 90% of Partners, Principals, leaders, and teams participated.
Infographics
- Break the Cycle—Eliminating Gender Bias in Talent Management Systems (see also: French translation)
- How to Combat Unconscious Bias as an Individual (see also: French translation, Japanese translation)
- How to Combat Unconscious Bias as a Leader in Your Organization (see also: French translation, Japanese translation)
- What is Unconscious Bias?
Online Learning
- CatalystX: Unconscious Bias: From Awareness to Action
- Knowledge Burst: Running More Inclusive Meetings Supporter Exclusive
- Knowledge Burst: Managing Affinity Bias Supporter Exclusive
Reports
- Building Inclusion for Indigenous Peoples in Canadian Workplaces
- The Day-to-Day Experiences of Workplace Inclusion and Exclusion
- Day-to-Day Experiences of Emotional Tax Among Women and Men of Color in the Workplace
- Empowering Workplaces Combat Emotional Tax for People of Colour in Canada
- Engaging Men: Barriers and Gender Norms
Tools
- Break the Cycle Toolkit Supporter Exclusive
Trend Briefs
Webinars
- A Conversation on Unconscious Bias Supporter Exclusive
- Eliminating the Double Bind Supporter Exclusive
- International Women’s Day – Sharing Perspectives (EMEA Roundtable Recording) Supporter Exclusive
Other Resources on Unconscious Bias
- Unconscious Bias, Implicit Bias, and Microaggressions: What Can We Do About Them? American Bar Association
- The Unconscious Bias in HR Series – #1. Introduction EuroGender
- How to Tackle Unconscious Bias in Your Workplace Forbes
- What Unconscious Bias Training Gets Wrong… And How to Fix It The Guardian
- Are You Aware of Your Biases? Harvard Business Review
- Test Yourself for Hidden Bias Learning for Justice
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