A commitment to break the bias

Hark, do you hear that? It’s sound of some glass shattering, lots of myth busting and tons of bias breaking. It’s soon going to be a perfect world where every human being belongs equally - sharing rights and responsibilities to sustain a peaceful, green planet. Laughter everywhere and no bias at all. A beautiful rainbow of colours, a spectrum of ideas and and an orchestra of voices are all invited to the party…

… pipe dream? Considering all that’s happening in the world at the moment, it can certainly feel that way. Perhaps the sun will never rise to such a utopian world. And yet, we are defined by what we aspire to as a species. The journey’s end may never be reached, but moving in the right direction, celebrating our wins and marvelling at the new sights we encounter is what life is all about. So, let’s dream on.

That said, it is, by no means, an easy journey. The International Women’s Day nudges us to “break the bias” this year and I wish there were a ready template we could follow. It would be great to get rid of bias overnight but that’s easier said than done. Having spent time in the diversity & inclusion space the past several years, I’ve learnt a few things about bias and why it’s so hard to kick it out the door. Some of the biggest challenges that I see:

1. Bias comes in different shapes and sizes. Some types are obvious — when you see bullying or harassment in action, the bias is overt. Other types are harder to spot unless you actively look for trends — for example, the historical trend of hiring, firing and promotions can give you an insight into whether there’s structural bias at play. Lastly, there are those types of bias that are open to subjective interpretation — who does a leader hang out with, invite to meetings/ social gatherings, etc. Hard to measure and therefore hard to be called out as bias. With so many variations, it’s hard to pinpoint a definition or prescribe a solution. It’s a multidimensional problem.
2. Covert bias is the elephant in the room. Policies can, to some extent, deal with overt bias, ie the kind that can be tracked and measured. The problem is with the type of bias that is felt rather than seen. The kind that makes people sense that something is off, when it is passed off as a seemingly innocuous joke. Ironically, this type of bias may not even be accompanied by malice in the mind of the perpetrator and yet it doesn’t feel any less real to the receiver.
3. Bias is deep-rooted to the point of being invisible. Remember Newton’s second law of motion where you stay in a state of inertia until something external forces you out of it? It’s like that with bias. It is so ingrained in our societal structure that we very often don’t even notice it. We just go along accepting that this is the way things should be because that’s how they’ve always been. Even the people affected by the bias don’t always realise it until it’s pointed out to them. It takes something or someone to nudge us out of that state of inertia, which brings me to the next point…
4. There’s passivity around bias. Many people in positions of power will tell you that they have zero bias. They are very open to hiring anyone who meets the job specifications, but it just so happens that their team looks exactly like them. Pure coincidence! Do you buy that? I certainly don’t. If there’s one thing that needs to change urgently, this is it. Being passive on bias means you are contributing to the problem — action, especially from people in positions of power, is what will make a difference, not mere non-interference.
5. Unfortunately, there are no ready solutions. Reducing bias is a process and a journey of trial and error. The only thought I can offer here is: engage on this topic. Get perspectives from lots of people. Try to understand what they are experiencing. Learn from others who are trying to get better. Have some difficult conversations and seek some feedback. If you are getting better, however slowly, you are part of the solution.

So, how do we get there? It’s hard to change the world, but we can change ourselves so maybe that’s the starting point. I was reminded of a framework I had learnt many years back about how we learn new skills, like riding a bicycle. It’s called the “four stages of competence” and below is an image I found on the web that illustrates the concept pretty well:

Image courtesy this link

How do we apply this to breaking the bias?

Seek the Aha: Forget Newton’s law. Don’t wait forever for an external force to appear. We are in the 21st century. Just open your eyes, ears and mind. As I said in a previous blog, there are so many types of bias waiting to be broken, that you can begin by just picking one or two that you spot in your everyday life. The key thing here is to become aware that there’s a problem. It can be simple things. For example: do you use “he” as a default in your conversations? Do you have a tendency to forward “hen-pecked husband” jokes on WhatsApp? I know these sound like very trivial examples but, believe me, they are not. They are a problem because they give permission to larger forms of bias, so best to nip in the bud.

Stay with Ouch: Yeah, it won’t be easy. Just because you’ve noticed the problem, i.e. become conscious of the incompetence, doesn’t mean you will automatically change. Like learning to ride a bike, some falls are inevitable. Making the change, learning the skill will need deliberate practice. It will need the commitment to practice over and over until the muscle memory is formed. Notice the two people on that image above? That’s my favourite part because it conveys an important point — you are not alone. If you reach out, someone will help you. And, in turn, you can be a coach for others too. Pull people along. Together, we can get more proficient.

Aspire for Mastery: With enough practice, skills like riding a bike or swimming become second nature. We never forget them. So it is with bias. For example, once you realise how fairy tales are all about a damsel in distress being rescued by a knight in shining armour, chances are you’ll raise your kids on a different diet of reading material. You’ll point this stereotype to others. You’ll notice it in other places — movies, articles, books and conversations. Mastery is an active state — each time we exercise the muscle, we’ll keep getting better. The change will stick and you will be a force multiplier.

The journey doesn’t end here of course. It is a cyclical process. As I said earlier, there are far too many forms of bias than can be named. So, once you feel like you’ve reached a significant level of mastery on one aspect of bias, go back to Step 1 (this time with greater confidence), pick up another aspect and work your way towards breaking it.

If we all do this often enough, we’ll get closer to the perfect world that this year’s IWD theme dreams for us:

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Let’s do it. We can all take responsibility and break the bias once and for all!