objectivity or subjectivity - owning your bias and interactions - natalie warnert agile2016

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OBJECTIVITY OR SUBJECTIVITY?

OWNING YOUR BIAS & INTERACTIONSNatalie Warnert – #Agile2016

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rtNatalie Warnertwww.nataliewarnert.com@nataliewarnert

@nataliewarne

rt Teams are diverse entities formed by the individual and collective experiences of their members.

Some experiences and associated baggage are readily apparent; others are not.

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THIS LEADS TOINTERACTIONALBAGGAGE

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MY INSPIRATION #WOMENINAGILE

Intimidation from a lack of diversityMen: 3%Women: 9%

Why are you less involved in the agile community than you would like to be?

@nataliewarne

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MY INSPIRATION #WOMENINAGILE

Intimidation from a lack of diversityMen: 3%Women: 9%When you think of women specifically, why do you think they are less involved in the agile community?Intimidation from a lack of diversityMen: 60%Women: 33%

Why are you less involved in the agile community than you would like to be?

@nataliewarne

rt What do these words mean to you?

Prejudice

Stereotype

Perception Judgement

Bias

Subjective

Objective

Cognitive

Implicit

TERMDEFINITION

@nataliewarne

rt What do these words mean to you?

Prejudice

Stereotype

Perception Judgement

Bias

Subjective

Objective

Cognitive

ImplicitDefinitions get blurred

TERMDEFINITION

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rtJudgement:An opinion or conclusion

Subjective:Based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions

Objective:Not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts

WHAT IS JUDGEMENT?

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rtPrejudice:Perceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience

Stereotype:A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing

Perception:A way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression

WHAT INFLUENCES JUDGEMENT?

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rtBias:Prejudice in favor or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfairExplicit:Attitudes or beliefs that one endorses at a conscious level

ImplicitSubtle judgement or behavior cognitive processes often operating at a level below conscious awareness

JUDGEMENTS FORM BIASES

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rt Individuals create their own social reality from their perception of the input

-Wikipedia

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rtwhat does thismean for teams?

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rt

diverseindividual

experiences and interactions

leadto diverse team experiences and interactions

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rtbagga

gecollected through these interactions and

experiences

influencesperceptions, behaviors, judgements.

team normsthat result are directly

affected

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IT’S AWKWARDTO ADDRESS

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rtPERSONAL ACTIVITY

What are some inaccurate perceptions people have made

about you?

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WHAT DOES SOCIETY PERCEIVE

SOFTWAREDEVELOPER

SOFTWARE TESTER

PROJECT MANAGER

MANAGER.

MOST POPULAR IMAGE (PERSON) BY SEARCH TERM

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WHAT DOES SOCIETY PERCEIVE

FEMALESOFTWAREDEVELOPER

FEMALESOFTWARE TESTER

FEMALEPROJECT

MANAGER

FEMALEMANAGER.

MOST POPULAR IMAGE (PERSON) BY SEARCH TERM

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THESE IMAGESSAY A LOT

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rtWE SAY

WE WANTdiverse teams

WEWANTeffective interactions

BUT WEIGNOREour different experiences, emotions, and societal pressures that lead us to interact with each other differently

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rthow do weown our interactions?

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rtby admittingwe havebiases

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rt In every human interaction there is an emotional aspect – what people are feeling, attitudes based on past experience that are shaping their perceptions.- Closing the Interaction Gap

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BEHAVIORS AVOIDANCE CREATES“Past histories of poor interaction between groups can breed resentments that are difficult to overcome. Even positive emotions can get in the way of effective interaction. People or groups who like and respect each other may hesitate to speak up about problems or share their ideas for fear of offending the other party and upsetting the relationship.”

Defensiveness – natural reaction is to defend your position – your style of working has created success in the past so the problem must be with the other people. – It’s easier to see in others than ourselves

-Closing the Interaction Gap

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rtFOUR FATAL FLAWS

TOWER OF BABELFailing to create a shared language around interactionTHE GRAVITY OF HABITUnderstanding the power of group normsONE AND DONEFailing to transfer skills from theory to reality

HEAD OVER HEARTIgnoring the impact of emotions and defensiveness

Closing the Interaction Gap

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rtCOHESION

CONFORMITY

CONVERGENCE

UNDERSTANDING GROUP NORMS

Is the group conforming around norms that work against effective interaction?

Closing the Interaction Gap

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rtTHIS ALL LEADS TO

BIASED INTERACTIONS

GROUP NORMS

SOCIETY EXPERIENCE

PERCEPTION

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ACTIVITY10 MINUTES

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UNDERSTANDING PERSONAL BIAS1. Look at a belief you hold strongly2. Identify the reasons for it3. Understand and recognize your right to

your belief4. Identify reasons for different beliefs and

approaches5. Understand and recognize that people

who have different beliefs have the same rights

6. Be willing to integrate other people’s information as well as ours into our approach to helping

7. Understand how this belief influences your behaviors and interactions

8. How will you remain self aware of this influence

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rtWE HAVE A RIGHTTO BELIEVE WHAT WE WANT

-JUDGEMENTS-STEREOTYPES-PREJUDICE-BIAS

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rtWE DO NOT HAVE A RIGHTTO TREAT OUR TEAMMEMBERS UNFAIRLY

BECAUSE OF OUR BELIEFS OR PRESS OUR BELIEFS ON TO OTHERS

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rtWE DO NOT HAVE A RIGHTTO TREAT OUR TEAMMEMBERS UNFAIRLY

BECAUSE OF OUR BELIEFS OR PRESS OUR BELIEFS ON TO OTHERS

WE MUST PREVENT THE JUDGEMENT FROM BECOMING A BIAS-CHARGED INTERACTION, REACTION, OR BEHAVIOR

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rtit is hardto beself-aware

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rtWHAT CAN WE CHANGE?

Get to know people who buck or break your stereotypes and judgementsLearn about the roots of stereotypes, judgements, and bias in your own lifeLeave processing time or retrospect on personal thought processes

Practice self-awareness and emotional intelligence

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rtWHAT CAN WE CHANGE? CTA!

How will you measure growth?

What are your goals for future interactions?

What does improvement and success look like?

Formulate a plan with specific actions and timelines

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WHAT DID IDO?

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rtKEY TAKEAWAYS

IDENTIFYPersonal bias (implicit or explicit), judgements, and understand the roots

ACCEPTThat you have the right to believe what you want

MONITORHow we interact with others in spite of or because of our bias and create an action plan to improve

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THANKSFOR

COMINGwww.nataliewarnert.co

m@nataliewarnert