Introduction

Today’s world is increasingly complex. Information flow is at an all-time high with real-time communications and social media, exposing us to experiences which educate or challenge/worsen or alleviate our biases. With an overload of stimuli around us, our brains try to protect us by finding patterns, making associations and forming biases.

We are all guilty of being biased; it is wired into our basic make up and every day, people make snap judgments, rely on their gut instincts and call it “intuition”. Social behavior is largely influenced by our unconscious associations and judgments on various categories including gender, age, race, gender identity, weight, religion, political views and many more. In our workplaces, homes, schools and beyond the impact of unconscious biases are felt every day. So how do we go about removing unconscious bias from decision processes? The first step to diminishing bias is to first acknowledge that it does exist and establish when, where and how it affects you/your company.