Despite a lack of clear, convincing organizational change thus far, implicit bias training has potential to make tangible progress in organizational diversity. The training and education behind implicit bias is grounded in science: there is real value in being able to educate
professionals on how they unconsciously make decisions in the workplace, and how those decisions can have huge implications on their peers and the organization as a whole. In order to take implicit bias training from a high-potential technique to one that makes effective
organizational change, a double-sided effort is needed: both the diversity consulting firms that create training products and firms that contract implicit bias training services can play a part in furthering the efforts behind training to make change.
As for diversity consulting firms, this study recommends that training products enforce explicit goal-setting as well as create actionable takeaways for the participants involved. Both of these recommendations will allow for employees to get a better sense of what they should walk away from training with and how they can immediately implement what they have learned in implicit bias training sessions. Another recommendation is for consulting firms to implement standard follow-up procedures to ensure that change is on its way to being made. Depending on resources, in-person or online post-assessments and brief refresher sessions would be a great way to not only reinforce what participants learned back during the session, but to also measure just
how much information they have retained and what they have done (if anything) to put those lessons into practice.
Finally, as for the client firms who bring in consultants to conduct implicit bias training, we encourage them to buttress implicit bias training implementation with other aforementioned methods of furthering elimination bias.11 For example, employing the use of bias-elimination hiring software, like the products of Entelo and Blendoor, for example, could help further implicit bias training’s potential to make progress. Additionally, developing a company-specific and relevant way to tie implicit bias training takeaways to employee evaluation would encourage employees to keep implicit bias training lessons in mind. As employees reflect on their job performance throughout the previous period, they will have the chance to think about how to further improve and better incorporate implicit bias training takeaways into the upcoming performance period.12
Ultimately, implicit bias training has the potential to positively impact diversity and inclusion within an organization. As the potential to make organizational change is there, implicit bias training seems to be on its way to making long-awaited progress.
11 Refer to previous section, “Next Steps: How to Make Implicit Bias Training More Effective” 12 See Exhibit E for a recommendations overview table
References
Anand, Rohini, and Mary-Frances Winters. A retrospective view of corporate diversity training from 1964 to the present. Academy of Management Learning & Education 7, no. 3 (September 2008): 356-72. doi:10.5465/amle.2008.34251673.
Blair, Irene V., Charles M. Judd, Edward P. Havranek, and John F. Steiner. Using community data to test the discriminant validity of ethnic/racial group IATs. Zeitschrift für
Psychologie / Journal of Psychology 218, no. 1 (2010): 36-43. doi:10.1027/0044-
3409/a000006.
Daileda, Colin. Tech is dominated by even more white dudes than the rest of the private sector.
Mashable. May 19, 2016. http://mashable.com/2016/05/19/diversity-report-silicon-
valley-white-men/.
Davidson, Joe. Implicit bias training seeks to counter hidden prejudice in law enforcement. The
Washington Post. August 16, 2016. Available at:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/08/16/implicit-bias-training- seeks-to-counter-hidden-prejudice-in-law-enforcement.
Devine, Patricia G., Patrick S. Forscher, Anthony J. Austin, and William T.l. Cox. Long-term reduction in implicit race bias: A prejudice habit-breaking intervention. Journal of
Experimental Social Psychology 48, no. 6 (2012): 1267-278.
doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2012.06.003.
Dobbin, Frank, and Alexandra Kalev. Why diversity programs fail. Harvard Business Review. July-Aug. 2016. Available at: https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-programs-fail.
Dover, Tessa L., Brenda Major, and Cheryl R. Kaiser. Diversity policies rarely make companies fairer, and they feel threatening to white men. HBR.org. January 16, 2016. Available at https://hbr.org/2016/01/diversity-policies-dont-help-women-or-minorities-and-they- make-white-men-feel-threatened.
Gilbert, Jacqueline A., and John M. Ivancevich. Valuing diversity: A tale of two
organizations. The Academy of Management Executive (1993-2005) 14, no. 1 (2000): 93- 105. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4165611.
Greenwald, Anthony G., Brian A. Nosek, and Mahzarin R. Banaji. Understanding and using the implicit association test: I. An improved scoring algorithm. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology 85, no. 2 (2003): 197-216. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.85.2.197.
Greenwald, Anthony G., Debbie E. Mcghee, and Jordan L. K. Schwartz. Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The implicit association test. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology 74, no. 6 (1998): 1464-480. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.6.1464.
Greenwald, Anthony G., T. Andrew Poehlman, Eric Luis Uhlmann, and Mahzarin R. Banaji. Understanding and using the Implicit Association Test: III. Meta-analysis of predictive validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 97, no. 1 (July 2009): 17-41. doi:10.1037/a0015575.
Hall, Alison V., Erika V. Hall, and Jamie L. Perry. Black and blue: Exploring racial bias and law enforcement in the killings of unarmed black male civilians. American Psychologist 71, no. 3 (April 2016): 175-86. doi:10.1037/a0040109.
Huet, Ellen. Rise of the bias busters: How unconscious bias became silicon valley's newest target. Forbes. November 03, 2015. Available at:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2015/11/02/rise-of--the-bias-busters-how- unconscious-bias-became-silicon-valleys-newest-target/#6028525d19b5.
Hunt, Vivian, Dennis Layton, and Sara Prince. Why diversity matters. McKinsey & Company. January 2015. Available at: http://www.mckinsey.com/business-
functions/organization/our-insights/why-diversity-matters.
Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Understanding implicit bias. The Ohio
State University. Available at: http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/research/understanding-
implicit-bias/.
Kotter, John P. Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Review 85, no. 1 (1995): 96-103. Business Source Complete, EBSCOHost.
Kotter, John P. Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Review 85, no. 1 (1995): 96-103. Business Source Complete, EBSCOHost.
---. Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail. Best of HBR. January 2007. Reprint R0701J.
Krieger, Linda Hamilton, and Susan T. Fiske. Behavioral realism in employment discrimination law: Implicit bias and disparate treatment. California Law Review 94, no. 4 (2006): 997. doi:10.2307/20439058
Lee, Cynthia. Making race salient: Trayvon Martin and implicit bias in a not yet post-racial society, 91 N.C. L. Rev. 1555 (2013). Available at:
http://scholarship.law.unc.edu/nclr/vol91/iss5/4.
Miller, David. Tech companies spend big money on bias training-but it hasn't improved diversity numbers. Phys.org. July 10, 2015. Available at: https://phys.org/news/2015-07-tech- companies-big-money-bias.html.
Nosek, Brian A., Anthony G. Greenwald, and Mahzarin R. Banaji. Understanding and using the implicit association test: II. Method variables and construct validity. Personality and
Social Psychology Bulletin 31, no. 2 (2005): 166-80. doi:10.1177/0146167204271418.
O'Connor, Clare. Black woman engineer launches “blind” job match app to take bias out of tech hiring. Forbes. March 07, 2016. Available at:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2016/03/03/black-woman-engineer-launches- blind-job-match-app-to-take-bias-out-of-tech-hiring.
Oxford Dictionaries. “Vision.” Available at: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/vision.
Page, Scott E. The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms,
Schools, and Societies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2007.
Popa-Roch, Maria, and Florian Delmas. Prejudice implicit association test effects. Zeitschrift für
Psychologie / Journal of Psychology 218, no. 1 (2010): 44-50. doi:10.1027/0044-
Robinson, Gail, and Kathleen Dechant. Building a business case for diversity. Academy of
Management Perspectives 11, no. 3 (August 1997): 21-31.
doi:10.5465/ame.1997.9709231661.
Showers, Robyn. A brief history of diversity in the workplace. Brazen.com. February 17, 2016. Available at: https://www.brazen.com/blog/recruiting-hr/a-brief-history-of-diversity-in- the-workplace-infographic/.
Singal, Jesse. Psychology's favorite tool for measuring racism isn't up to the job. Science of Us. January 11, 2017. Available at: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2017/01/psychologys- racism-measuring-tool-isnt-up-to-the-job.html.
Yacovelli, Steve. Hidden forces at work: Unconscious bias in learning. Training Industry
Magazine. Available at: https://www.trainingindustry.com/ezine/current-issue/hidden-
forces-at-work-unconscious-bias-in-learning.aspx.
Zarya, Valentina. Does unconscious bias training actually work? Fortune.com. November 10, 2015. Available at: http://fortune.com/2015/11/10/test-racism-sexism-unconscious-bias/.
Appendix
Exhibit A: Kotter’s 8-Step Model (Source: “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail”; 1995; 2007)
Exhibit B: Interview Questions
D&I Experts/Consultants:
Introduction of project:
My name is Olivia and I am a senior at the Wharton School. I’m doing my thesis project on implicit or unconscious bias training as a workplace diversity tool. Specifically, I am hoping to better understand the overall process of implicit bias training, as well as assess its overall potential to make organizational change.
1) Do you mind if this is recorded so I can go back and pull quotes? 2) Do you wish to remain anonymous?
a. If no, please state name, company name, role and years in this role 3) What exactly does your company do?
4) Can you please provide a brief description of your role?
5) Originally implicit bias training was seen as connected to law enforcement, but now it is widespread in the corporate world overall. When did implicit bias training first receive attention as a workplace diversity tool?
6) Can you walk me through the process of a company reaching out to your firm for implicit bias training?
a. How do you figure out exactly what the company needs? What factors do you assess? (If help needed: Do you assess any of company’s past history? Past issues (documented or more implicit with D&I)? Or, do you mainly concentrate on what the company hopes for going forward?
7) How does goal-setting work for your organization?
a. Is it more so decided on your side, or based on what the client company says? b. Can you name examples of those goals (i.e., increase representation among
managers, help create more diverse work teams, etc.)?
8) Does your implicit bias training program focus on any aspects of diversity more than others (ethnicity, gender, ability, etc.)?
9) What are some KPIs for the work you all do?
10) How long do you give yourselves to see if those goals were met?
12) Is there anything else you’d like to mention regarding motivations, goals and/or evaluating impact of implicit bias training?
In-house diversity specialists:
Intro of project (same as above)
1) Do you mind if this is recorded so I can go back and pull quotes? 2) Do you wish to remain anonymous?
a. If no, please state name, company name, role and years in this role 3) (If unknown) What exactly does your company do?
4) Can you please provide a brief description of your role? 5) What are some KPIs for the D&I work you do?
6) Has your firm undergone implicit bias training?
a. How long ago was the most recent training session? b. Did you attend and/or participate?
7) If so, were you involved in implementing/setting up the implicit bias training program? a. If so, briefly describe process
8) What are motivations, implicit or explicit for exposing members of your firm to implicit bias training?
9) If you know, were goals explicitly set for the employees who underwent this training at your firm?
a. If so, who set those goals? (i.e. the professional(s) who led training, the participants themselves, or another party?)
10) If applicable, can you list examples of those goals (i.e. increase representation among managers, help create more diverse work teams, etc.)
11) When/how will you be able to see if implicit bias training has been successful at your firm?
12) Is there anything else you’d like to mention?
Implicit bias training participants:
Intro of project (same as above)
2) Do you wish to remain anonymous?
a. If no, please state name, company name, role and years in this role 3) What exactly does your company do?
4) Can you please provide a brief description of your role?
5) Had you participated in training before your most recent experience? If so, how many times?
6) When was the most recent time you participated in implicit bias training? (Approximate date—month and year— is fine)
7) Was this training session mandatory? 8) Approximately how long was the session?
9) Can you please summarize the training session and your experience overall?
10) Think back to first finding out that you would be participating in implicit bias training. What was your first reaction?
11) Were goals explicitly outlined and communicated by the professional conducting training?
a. If so, do you remember any of them?
12) Were you prompted to set any personal goals? If not, did you do so anyway? a. If you did, can you list some examples of those goals?
13) Can you please choose three words to describe your implicit bias training experience? (Ask to explain word choice, if need be)
14) What are your two biggest takeaways (whether general or personal)?
15) Do you think the training was useful for your industry and company specifically? 16) What would a sign of success from this training look like for you?
Exhibit D: Goal-Setting Question Responses
:
100% 0%