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Are you an HR professional looking to remove bias from your operations? Are you a business owner or professional looking to improve your decision-making abilities in general, so that you can arrive at logical, objective conclusions? If so, this course is for you.

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Are you an HR professional looking to remove bias from your operations? Are you a business owner or professional looking to improve your decision-making abilities in general, so that you can arrive at logical, objective conclusions? If so, this course is for you.

Diversity and inclusion have become centre-stage considerations for profitable and productive businesses. But beyond the obvious biases, unconscious bias lurks to undermine business decisions and operations. This course provides clear information about various unconscious pitfalls in decision-making, in the context of diversity and inclusion, as well as in other contexts.

The course kicks off by introducing some key terms and the definition of unconscious bias. Over the lectures, we will be discussing how successful businesses have implemented strategies and practices that maintain a healthy and inclusive environment, liberated from unconscious biases, and you'll learn how to apply these solutions in your own organisation. We'll also cover vital topics such as cognitive and internalised biases, while also touching on various methods we can use in order to prevent prejudice and discrimination. We'll then take a closer look at the role bias plays in the decision-making process and how to challenge established perceptions, transforming them into objective and logical approaches.

By the end of the course, you will possess valuable knowledge on how to prevent various forms of bias and you'll be confident and self-assured in your capabilities and skills, while also being ready to implement what you have learnt.

So, if you're looking to establish an inclusive, diverse, and non-discriminatory environment for all - as well as learn to make clear and objective business decisions - enrol today.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • How to identify and minimise different forms of unconscious bias.
  • How to make more effective and objective decisions.
  • How to eliminate unconscious bias from business decisions.
  • How to apply practical strategies to prevent bias in an organisation.
  • How to assess your organisation's diversity growth and inclusion.
  • The importance of having an inclusive workplace.
  • How deep the dangers of impulsive decisions truly go.
  • How to resolve internalised bias about oneself.

Syllabus

Introduction

This lecture seeks to define the most prominent dangers of unconscious bias. Unconscious bias is unavoidable but able to be mitigated. This lecture shows how we see it every day in places we may not have realised. We'll also delve into contemporary and impending consequences of unconscious bias like poor decision-making and the reliability of the information.

Also explored are the necessity and probable faults of heuristics. Heuristics are the clusters of associations and assumptions we use for immediate decision-making.

Download and complete the What Is Unconscious Bias Worksheet.

Read more

This lecture defines various forms of cognitive bias, how to identify them, and how to avoid them. We'll cover the common source bias, illusory truth, illusory validation, outcome bias, compassion fade and backlash.

Following this, we'll go into the benefits of a more flexible perception and how to foster one. We'll discuss ways to change the routine and try new activities, as well as challenge your own perceptions.

Download the Cognitive Bias And Cognitive Flexibility Worksheet.

Ways To Combat Bias

This lecture shows how practical applications and strategies in the workplace can keep stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination in check. We'll discuss consistency, transparency, accountability and how to deal with offences. This will include real examples from people involved in bias prevention.

Download the Combatting And Preventing Stereotyping, Prejudice And Discrimination Worksheet.

This lecture goes over methods to create an unbiased hiring process. It helps polish the process with clear goal-setting, collective efforts, structure, and digital tools to get the best candidate for the role, free of biased distractions.

There will also be information from various human resource professionals to elucidate the dangers of biased hiring processes.

Download and complete the Combatting Bias In The Hiring Process Worksheet.

This lecture journeys inward on how people hold unwarranted biases against themselves. We'll discuss how most of us are influenced by imaginary constructs, and we'll illuminate how fictional constructs have influenced every mind since the dawn of society. This lecture will help build awareness, replace internalised bias with valuable metrics of thought, and shed light on how ridiculous perpetuated discrimination is.

Download and complete the Recognising And Combatting Internalised Bias Worksheet.

Business Decisions And Audits

This lecture dives into cognitive case studies and evidence that illustrate fundamental predicaments with decision-making. We'll see why gut-thinking is dangerous, how unrealistic optimism blinds us, how we have unseen biases that anchor important decisions, and how decision-making has been exposed as unreliable by numerous psychological tests.

Download and complete the Bias in Decision Making Part 1 Worksheet.

This lecture presents broader, more objective approaches to business decisions. These solutions will include clear metrics, a decision model to use, how to use objective data for new information, and how to apply premortem evaluations. These strategies will ensure decisions are made with the most important things considered, negating pitfalls that were discussed in the previous lecture.

Download and complete the Bias In Decision Making Part 2 Worksheet.

This lecture exposes signifiers for the effectiveness of bias prevention in the workplace. It also gives ways to examine the organisation's ongoing efforts against biased practices. We'll discuss the importance of employee turnover, how to audit diversity growth, representing stakeholders, and using internalised bias as a metric.

Download and complete the Measuring The Effectiveness Of Bias Prevention Worksheet.

Conclusion

In this lecture, we will briefly recap what you've learnt throughout the course.

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Provides practical strategies for preventing bias in an organization, which is highly relevant for HR professionals looking to foster a more inclusive workplace
Explores the dangers of impulsive decisions and gut-thinking, which can lead to poor outcomes in business and organizational contexts
Examines cognitive biases such as source bias, illusory truth, and outcome bias, which are important to understand for making objective decisions
Includes downloadable worksheets for each section, which allows learners to apply the concepts directly to their own situations and organizations
Requires learners to assess their organization's diversity growth and inclusion, which may require access to sensitive data and internal resources
Teaches learners how to resolve internalised bias about oneself, which may be challenging for some learners and require a degree of self-reflection

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Identify And Avoid Unconscious Bias with these activities:
Review Key Terms: Bias, Prejudice, Discrimination
Solidify your understanding of fundamental concepts before diving into the course material. This will help you grasp the nuances of unconscious bias and its various manifestations.
Browse courses on Unconscious Bias
Show steps
  • Find definitions of bias, prejudice, and discrimination.
  • Compare and contrast the terms.
  • Reflect on personal experiences related to these concepts.
Review 'Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People'
Gain a deeper understanding of the science behind unconscious bias. This book will provide a solid foundation for the course content.
Show steps
  • Read the book 'Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People'.
  • Take notes on key concepts and examples.
  • Reflect on how these biases might affect your own decisions.
Journaling: Reflect on Personal Biases
Increase self-awareness by identifying and reflecting on your own potential biases. This will make you more receptive to the course material and better equipped to apply the concepts.
Show steps
  • Dedicate time to reflect on your own biases.
  • Write about situations where you might have acted on unconscious biases.
  • Analyze the factors that contributed to those biases.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Implicit Association Tests (IATs)
Assess your own implicit biases using the IAT. This will provide valuable insights into your unconscious associations and potential areas for improvement.
Show steps
  • Visit the Project Implicit website.
  • Take several IATs related to different biases.
  • Reflect on the results and their implications.
Create a Presentation: Bias in Hiring
Deepen your understanding of bias in hiring practices. This will help you apply the course concepts to a specific area of HR and improve your ability to create unbiased hiring processes.
Show steps
  • Research common biases in hiring.
  • Develop strategies to mitigate these biases.
  • Create a presentation outlining your findings and recommendations.
Design an Unbiased Decision-Making Model
Apply the course concepts to create a practical tool for unbiased decision-making. This will solidify your understanding of the material and provide a valuable resource for your organization.
Show steps
  • Identify key decision-making processes in your organization.
  • Develop a model that incorporates strategies to mitigate bias.
  • Test and refine your model based on feedback.
Review 'So You Want to Talk About Race'
Expand your understanding of systemic biases and their impact on society. This book will provide a broader context for the course material.
Show steps
  • Read the book 'So You Want to Talk About Race'.
  • Take notes on key concepts and examples.
  • Reflect on how these biases might affect your own decisions and actions.

Career center

Learners who complete Identify And Avoid Unconscious Bias will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Identify And Avoid Unconscious Bias.
Provides a comprehensive overview of implicit biases and how they affect our perceptions and actions. It valuable resource for understanding the psychological underpinnings of unconscious bias. It offers practical strategies for mitigating the effects of bias in various contexts. This book is commonly used in academic settings and by professionals seeking to improve their awareness and decision-making.
Provides a comprehensive guide to understanding and discussing race in America. It valuable resource for developing a more nuanced understanding of systemic biases and their impact. It offers practical advice on how to engage in productive conversations about race and promote inclusivity. This book is particularly helpful for those seeking to address internalised biases and promote diversity and inclusion in their organizations.

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