presenter - diversity · pdf file•ableism- systemic and systematic and discrimination ......

diversitylansing.com

DARLENE KINGExecutive Director

Michigan Diversity Council

PRESENTER

Today’s Objectives:

• Define and describe “Bias“ (Implicit & Unconscious)

• Define & Recognize the “Ism’s”

• Define and describe “Stereotypes“

• Recognize & describe the impact of biases, ism’s & stereotypes

www.michigandiversitycouncil.org

BIASES


Bias - is a tendency to favor one person, group, thing

or point of view over another, often in an unfair way.

Bias can be a personal opinion or a more public

opinion, such as a news story, that only presents facts

that support one point of view.

Definition:


Why is the Study of Workforce Diversity and the Discussion of Biases Important?

• Drives economic growth

• Captures greater share of consumer market

• Fosters creativity and innovation

• Promotes knowledge and understanding of workforce

diversity

• Creates competitive economy

• Creates & encourages boardroom diversity

• Encourages entrepreneurialism

• It is the right thing to do (ensuring it is authentic/truthful)

• Helps to protect the organization from adverse risk, legal

complain and possible legal action

Source: Byrd, M. & Scott, C. (2014). Diversity in the workplace. Routledge: NY, NY


Definition:

Implicit Bias- refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that

affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an

unconscious manner. (ex. Implicit attitudes and implicit

stereotypes) that often operate at a level below

conscious awareness and without intentional control.


Explicit Bias- Refers to the attitudes and beliefs we

have about a person or group on a conscious level.

Mostly, these biases and their expression arise as the

direct result of a perceived threat.

• Implicit biases are pervasive. Everyone possesses them, even people with avowed commitments to impartiality such as judges.

• Implicit and explicit biases are not mutually exclusive and may even reinforce each other.

• The implicit associations we hold do not necessarily align with our declared beliefs or even reflect stances we would explicitly

endorse.

• We generally tend to hold implicit biases that favor our own in-

group, though research has shown that we can still hold implicit

biases against our in-group.

• Implicit biases are malleable. Our brains are incredibly complex,

and the implicit associations that we have formed can be gradually

unlearned through a variety of debiasing techniques.

Resource: How to Fight Your Own Implicit BiasesKevin Miller, Sr. Researcher, AAUW

Overview of Implicit Bias


Ways to Fight Implicit Bias

• Take a ten-second pause and ask yourself: "What are my biases

toward this person/group? How can I ensure that I see and listen

to him/her/them?" With awareness, you can replace biases with

receptive listening skills and affirming and positive thoughts.

• When addressing or assessing the actions or behavior of someone

from a stigmatized group, try to focus on concrete positive

factors and your memory of what actually happened, and not

on overall “gut” feelings.

• Be observant and look for positive examples of people who are

different from you. Do not ‘group’ others based on what you see

in the media, perceived stereotypes or generalizations.


"Say WHAAAT?"


Definition:

Unconscious (Hidden) Bias - refers to a bias that we

are unaware of, and which happens outside of our

control. It is a bias that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgments and

assessments of people and situations, influenced by our

background, cultural environment and/or personal

experiences.

(Resource: ECU: 2013 Unconscious bias in higher education) www.michigandiversitycouncil.org

Example of Unconscious/Hidden Bias


Examples of Biased Language

Not: They have hired more broads this year than men.

But: They have hired more women this year than men.

Not: Cho Yang, a Chinese exchange student, is of

course good at math and science.

But: Cho Yang is a hard-working exchange student who

does well in math and science.

Not: He/she was defended by a gay attorney.

But: He/she was defended by an attorney.


“ISM’s”


Definition:

Ism- “a distinctive doctrine, cause, or theory” or “an

oppressive and especially discriminatory attitude or

belief.” It’s usually used to emphasize a group of -

ism words, as in “cubism, abstract expressionism, and

all the other isms.”1

1-Merriam-Webster (www.merriam-webster.com) www.michigandiversitycouncil.org

“Isms” in the Workplace

• Ableism- systemic and systematic and discrimination against alter-abled or disabled people

• Adultism- systemic and systematic prejudice and discrimination against young people and children

• Ageism- systemic and systematic and discrimination against persons of an older age

• Antisemitism- systemic and systematic prejudice and discrimination against Jewish people

• Classism- systemic and systematic prejudice and discrimination based on social or economic class

• Cisgenderism/Transphobia- systemic and systematic and discrimination against transgender people

Resource: Interrupting oppression. Retrieved from http://interrupting-oppression.tumblr.com/post/102351553722/list-of-isms. February 17, 2017


http://interrupting-oppression.tumblr.com/post/102351553722/list-of-isms

• Colorism/Shadeism-a form of systemic and systematic prejudice or discrimination in which people are treated differently based on the social meaning attached to favoring lighter skin color

• Colonialism-in the U.S. context, this is a form of systemic and systematic prejudice and discrimination against indigenous people or native Americans

• Ethnocentrism- systemic and systematic prejudice and discrimination against people who do not speak English as a first language

• Heterosexism- systemic and systematic prejudice and discrimination against people who do not identify as heterosexual





• Jingoism-an extreme form of patriotism tht often calls for violence toward people who were no born in the U.S.

• Lookism- systemic and systematic prejudice and discrimination based on a persons physical appearance, often based on the media’s presentation and definition of beauty.

• Saneism- systemic and systematic prejudice and discrimination bases on a persons’ diagnosis or perceived mental condition

• Nativism- the policy and attitude of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants.


Resource: http://www.payscale.com/career-news/2016/03/theres-a-new-type-of-pay-gap-the-height-and-weight-pay-gap




http://www.payscale.com/career-news/2016/03/theres-a-new-type-of-pay-gap-the-height-and-weight-pay-gap

• Racism- systemic and systematic prejudice and discrimination based on race

• Religious imperialism- systemic and systematic prejudice and discrimination against people who practice religions other than Christianity.

• Sexism- systemic, systematic prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination against women on the basis of gender

• Sizeism-systemic and systematic prejudice or discrimination based on a person’s size





Results of the “isms” - Lack of access to:

a. Resources

b. Information

c. Networks

d. Opportunities

e. Reward

f. Recognition

g. Feelings of Inclusion

Results of “Isms”


STEREOTYPES


Definition:

Stereotype - is a thought that can be adopted about

specific types of individuals or certain ways of doing

things. These thoughts or beliefs may or may not

accurately reflect reality.1

1-Wikipedia (www.en.wikipedia.org) www.michigandiversitycouncil.org

Definition:

Prejudice - is prejudgment or forming an opinion before becoming

aware of the relevant facts of a case. The word is often used to refer to

preconceived, usually unfavorable, judgments toward people or a

person because of their gender, beliefs, values, social class, age,

disability, religion, sexuality, race/ethnicity, language, nationality,

beauty, occupation, education, criminality or other personal

characteristics.1

Discrimination- is treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction

in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or

category to which that person or thing is perceived to belong to rather

than on individual merit.

1-Wikipedia (www.en.wikipedia.org) 2- Wikipedia (www.en.wikipedia.org) www.michigandiversitycouncil.org


GROUP

EXERCISE

Examples of Stereotypes

• Men are strong and do all the work.

• Women aren't as smart as men.

• All Mexicans are lazy and came into America illegally.

• All Middle Easterners and Muslims are terrorists.

• All Asians are good at math, like to eat rice and drive poorly.

• All black people are on welfare and play basketball.

• All white people are rich and successful.

• All gay men are pedophiles and hairdressers.

• All Jewish people are greedy and conniving.

• All obese people are lazy and overeat.

• All liberals are bleeding hearted hippies.• All Italians are connected with the mafia.


The Effects of Stereotyping

• Stereotypes can impact self-assessment and learning ability.

• Stereotypes create a misconception of how people are and how

they live in other cultures, religions, or countries.

• Racial stereotypes have proven to cause children to perform poorly

in school.

• Explicit stereotypes can become the gateway to hurtful and

intentional racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.

• Stereotyping can hurt your own psyche (Yes, researchers have

found that by positively judging others does have an effect on how

enthusiastic, happy, kind-hearted, courteous, emotionally stable we

are and vice versa).

• Stereotyping can have a significant impact on our relationships. It

can affect our initial judgments when we meet new people.

• Stereotyping can cause low self-esteem and confidence issues

and sometimes lead to physical violence.


1. Begin by examining the stereotype and ask “Why?’ If we can see that a

stereotype is based on wrongly held assumptions, we can take away the

power of the stereotype.

2. Evaluate the reasons for the power of the stereotype. For example, is the

stereotype powerful because it is based on differences? Most stereotypes

are based in the miscomprehension over not understanding other people

and ideas.

3. Encourage acceptance of differences rather than demonizing

differences. We are all products of our environment, with different

upbringings and backgrounds. When we accept these differences, we

overcome and redefine stereotypes.

4. Think “outside the box”. Just because everyone may believe in a certain

way, that does not make it right. We must look at things from multiple

perspectives.

5. Check your own ideas about people who are different than you. Think

about the kinds of stereotypes you place on others.

Wikipedia (www. terryhuynhmanagementblog.wordpress.com)

5-Steps to Overcoming Stereotyping


• Explicit & Implicit bias can enter into our decision-making choices. HR,

diversity professionals, and other organizational leaders have a

responsibility to ensure that their biases don’t negatively impact any

employment-related decision

• Biases, ism’s and stereotypes can have a profound impact on individual

and organizational behavior, talent acquisition, communication, decision-

making, talent management, and overall productivity

• Even subtle forms of discrimination will have a lasting impact on an

individual, their performance and longevity with the organization

• The consequences for racism in the workplace can be detrimental,

causing lack of work-flow, loss of clients/customers and top talent,

including potential lawsuits.

‘The Impact’


• According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, it will take

44 years—or until 2059—for women to finally reach pay parity. For

women of color, the rate of change is even slower: Hispanic

women will have to wait until 2248 and Black women will wait

until 2124 for equal pay.

• The impact of exposure to racism in the workplace can be

substantial: it can affect a person’s health and career outcomes.

For organizations, racism, whether overt or subtle, creates unhealthy

workplace conditions. By creating tension in the workplace, it can

damage organizational image, reduce synergy and hamper

productivity. But despite such negative impacts, there is a

concerning evidence that racism and racial bullying are quite

prevalent in the workplace.1

Resource 1: http://theconversation.com/how-racism-and-a-lack-of-diversity-can-

harm-productivity-in-our-workplaces-73119 , February 27, 2017

‘The Impact’


http://theconversation.com/how-racism-and-a-lack-of-diversity-can-harm-productivity-in-our-workplaces-73119

How Does Bias Affect Our Actions? Our bias affects us and our decision-

making processes in a number of different ways:

•Perception – how we see people and perceive reality.

•Attitude – how we react towards certain people.

•Behaviors – how receptive/friendly we are towards certain people.

•Attention – which aspects of a person we pay most attention to.

•Listening – how much we actively listen to what certain people say.

•Micro-affirmations – how much or how little we comfort certain people

in certain situations.

Whether we are aware of it or not, each and every one of these things

will affect who we select for interview, how we interview them, who we

hire, our reasons for hiring them, and the way we recruit.

Resource: www.socialtalent.co/blog/how-badly-is-your-unconscious-bias-affecting-your-recruiting-skills

Keep in Mind


http://www.socialtalent.co/blog/how-badly-is-your-unconscious-bias-affecting-your-recruiting-skills

• Communication - Perceptual, cultural and language barriers results in

confusion, lack of teamwork, and low morale.

• Resistance to change - Some employees will refuse to accept the fact that the

social and cultural makeup of their workplace is changing. The “we’ve always

done it this way” mentality silences new ideas and inhibits progress.

• Implementation of diversity in the workplace policies - Can be the overriding

challenge to all diversity advocates. Present results of employee assessments

and research data and implement a customized strategy.

• Successful Management of Diversity in the Workplace - Diversity training alone

is not sufficient. A strategy must be created and implemented to create a

culture of diversity that permeates every department and function of the organization.

Solutions


• Ward off change resistance with inclusion. - Involve every employee.

• Expect an attitude of openness in your organization. - Encourage and value employees ideas and opinions.

• Demand diversity in leadership positions. -Provide visibility and realizes the benefits of diversity in the workplace.

• Provide diversity training. - Use it as a tool to shape your diversity policy.

• Use employee satisfaction surveys that provide comprehensive reporting - Use the data to build and implement successful diversity in the workplace policies.

Solutions


Session Overview: What did we Learn

• We all have biases and this does not make us a bad person.

• Implicit biases often operate at a level below our conscious

awareness and without intentional control.

• Unconscious (Hidden) biases causes our brain to make quick

judgments and assessments of people and situations, and happens

outside of our control.

• Cognitive biases are inherent thinking errors that we as humans

make in processing information.

• Stereotypes are based on what we have seen or perceived to be

true and are misconceptions of how people are and how they live

in other cultures, religions, and/or countries.


Resources

• Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People

Book by: Anthony Greenwald & Mahzarin Banaji

• Overcoming Bias: Building Authentic Relationships Across Differences

Book by: Tiffany Jana & Matthew Freeman

• Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violated

Expectations, and Bad Behavior

Book by: Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan,& Al Switzler

• Take the Implicit Association Tests (IAT) created by Harvard, University

of Virginia and University of Washington online at:

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

• Visit the Teaching Tolerance website at: http://www.tolerance.org/


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