Unconscious Bias and You Touchy & True: Unconscious Bias and You Catherine Ashcraft Senior Research Scientist, University of Colorado Stephanie Cox Manager Virtualization Services, Indiana University Michele Kelmer IT Strategy Business Analyst, Indiana University Cathy O’Bryan Director Client Support, Indiana University AND YOU!

Diversity In Tech: The Facts

Diversity in Tech: The Facts Black & Hispanic Professionals Comprise 16% of U.S. Professional Occupations, but 30% of U.S. Population Black & Hispanic Men Hold 9% of U.S. Computing Jobs --Breakdown is 9% black and 7% Hispanic for Professional --4% black men computing and 5% Hispanic men computing --3% and 1% Hispanic women Black & Hispanic Women Hold 4% of U.S. Computing Jobs Source: U.S. Dept of Labor Statistics, 2012 Current Population Survey

We’re Losing The Diversity Already There: An Unnecessary Corporate Brain Drain 74% love work 56% leave 80% stay in workforce This one is specific to women Sources: Athena Factor, 2008

Why Diversity Matters Going to highlight a few studies here, a little more emphasis on women, since we are NCWIT, but will highlight some on other kinds of diversity as well….

Diversity Improves Productivity, Competitiveness & Bottom Line Increased sales revenue, bigger market share Higher-than-average profitability Greater return on equity and to shareholders This slide here summarizes the main findings of many of these recent studies   First, a study of 500 U.S. based companies Higher levels of racial & gender diversity associated with increased sales revenue, more customers, greater market share & greater relative profits RACIAL diversity, in particular, was one of the most important PREDICTORS of a company’s COMPETITIVE STANDING within its industry ADDITIONAL STUDIES indicate that teams with higher levels of thought diversity or functional diversity were more innovative than teams with shared mindset. Check out Scott Page the Difference for an excellent summary of additional research that shows how diverse teams consistently outperform “highest-ability” teams. A study by the London Business School of 100 teams at 21 different companies found that ….. TEAMS with EQUAL numbers of women and men……were more innovative, more productive Even more recent research builds on this work, finding that one of the predictors of collective intelligence of a team was the number of women on the team. Sources: Workplace Diversity Pays, American Sociological Review (2009), Capitalizing on Thought Diversity, Research-Technology Management (2009), The Difference, Scott Page (2007), Innovative Potential, London Business School (2007), The Bottom Line, Catalyst (2004).

What the Research Says We are going to roll through a ton of social science research in 10 minutes – we won’t do it justice. First, 3 caveats……

Let’s Cut to the Chase Minority Groups Aren’t Broken Majority Groups Aren’t The Enemy Culprit = Societal Biases We All Share We Can Take Action Together Two…..a lot of chit chat in social media – not productive – this is not about blame and it is not about pitting groups against each other….as we shall see ALL share these biases – good news is we can work together to reduce them…..

What do you see? This and the next slide are the two short interactive pieces to illustrate unconscious biases

Notice anything odd about this lung scan? http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/02/11/171409656/why-even-radiologists-can-miss-a-gorilla-hiding-in-plain-sight Photo: www.npr.org

We Bring Unconscious Bias to Work Society Organizational Culture Subtle Dynamics Institutional Barriers Schemas/ Unconscious Biases Employees

Turn to the action piece of this.

Industry Change Model for Inclusive Cultures

What interested you in the study of Unconscious Bias in the Workplace What interested you in the study of Unconscious Bias in the Workplace? And/or what personal experiences have you had with unconscious bias?

What are some strategies you’ve tried when it comes to recruitment and what have been the successes and challenges?

What are some strategies you’ve tried to address biases in the work environment and to better retain underrepresented groups? And what have been the successes and challenges?

What role can biases play when members of a dominant culture seek to be a mentor or ally?

How can members of a dominant culture not only be aware of bias but also their own privilege?

How can we interrupt unconscious biases if we feel we are being subjected to it, or if we see it in a group decision-making process?

How might you respond if someone suggests that you are exhibiting biases?

  Are there situations where bias is attributed for what are essentially unskilled communication?  How do you empower individuals who become entangled in such situations?

How should one (and how do the panelists) employ techniques to actively combat their own potential biases?