Why Unconscious Bias Training (Alone) is Not the Answer

In recent years, unconscious bias training has been a popular tool in workplace diversity, equity and inclusion programs and initiatives. Also known as implicit bias training, it helps individuals identify preconceptions in thought patterns and behaviors that take place unconsciously (out of their direct awareness). Training draws attention to these preconceptions and how they influence the way we perceive others and act around them, with the goal of creating more equitable decision-making and interactions.

While there is a certain benefit to being able to identify and interrupt one’s biases,  if unconscious bias training is used as the sole tool to “solve” DEI at your organization, it can be ineffective, counterproductive and can even cause harm in the long run.

Unconscious bias training can help people identify their biases, but can it do more harm than good? 

The “Checkbox Effect” of training

Unconscious bias training is often used as a one-size fits all solution to fostering organization-wide inclusion. For example, following the wrongful arrest of two Black men at a Starbucks in Philadelphia while they were waiting to meet with a business partner, Starbucks closed all its American stores for a mandatory training session on implicit racial bias and discrimination. But without a follow-up or a commitment to long-term learning, there’s no way to ensure that the learning is retained in a single-day training session. Biases can continue to thrive even after training and in some cases, an organization could even see an increase in inequity or discrimination over time. 

In research findings published in the Harvard Business Review, 91% of respondents stated that their firms don’t collect data on metrics, such as who gets promoted, and the race and gender of new hires. If the right DEI metrics aren’t being used to gauge the effectiveness of unconscious bias training, there’s no way to ensure that training is having an impact. Furthermore, only 10% of unconscious bias training programs gave employees strategies for actually reducing bias. 

How to enhance unconscious bias and inclusion training 

From the judicial system to healthcare, it’s clear that implicit bias still plays a role in everyday decision-making. In the workplace, employees need to understand how to identify and prevent bias to effectively communicate and collaborate with each other. But how can training be intentionally designed to promote long-term learning and drive real change? 

Here are some solutions:

1. Prevent training from being a one-stop journey, and make it a continuous learning process instead

Without a sustained, long-term commitment to implicit bias and inclusion, it’s harder to move the needle forward with training - especially if no measurable results are being tracked. A 2016 meta-analysis on the efficacy of diversity training, found that training that was integrated into other DEI initiatives or was part of a larger curriculum, had a greater impact on attitudinal and behavioral learning than training that was standalone. Overall, the longer the training period, the more effective it was. Try to break training sessions down into segments over a longer duration, such as a weekly series that covers bias in different cultural contexts. 

2. Build anti-bias principles into your organization’s processes and practices.

Yes, it’s important that people are educated on how to identify and interrupt biases, but more importantly, these principles should be built directly into company processes and practices. De-biasing frameworks should be part of decision-making processes. An example of this is implementing blind resume reviews that conceal candidate names and education institutions or using scorecards for better hiring decisions.

3. Equip managers with frameworks, knowledge about DEI metrics and responsibility for these metrics

Managers should be taught frameworks for fostering inclusion and equity. This could include how to approach difficult conversations, how to measure team psychological safety, and how to track DEI metrics - such as the demographics of new hires, retention of employees of color, belonging, etc. Equipping managers with this knowledge and then giving them responsibility for metrics will lead to greater accountability and change. 

4. Empower employees to change through engagement 

Training that encourages employees to participate, share their ideas, and hear others’ perspectives has better positive outcomes. Holding conversations about biases in smaller groups - such as break-out rooms or topic-specific Slack channels, can help to draw interest and especially, empathy.

Engage employees with real scenarios about unconscious bias that are relevant to the workplace, rather than focusing the bulk of time on definitions and concepts. Research shows that this will resonate more and will help with learning and memory.

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Traditional unconscious bias training falls short in many ways. But with these changes, you can reorient unconscious bias training to meet inclusion goals and drive real organization-wide change.