This is one of the most important topics that you will read about this term. As a leader you need to be very aware of how you approach diversity and biases tha you hold. We all have biases and some are known and some are unconscious and you are not aware of these biases, these are sometimes refered to as "implicity biases." You might think that you are not biased and you do not treat anyone differently based upon race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or other characteristics that make one diverse. Unfortunately, according to research by Tony Greenwald, Mahzarin Banaji, and Brian Nozek at Harvard on implicit bias, we might be more biased than we acknowledge. I invite you take one or more of their implicit bias tests that will help you understand more about the unconscious biases that you may hold.
Here is the link to the Implicit Bias (IAT) test and I encourage you to take it and think about your results. Please note, the results of these tests might give you unexpected information and you might need extra time to process and research what your results mean. Moreover, I also want to point out that the IAT is based in research and, if you haven't had your research methods courses yet, research is not 100% truth and it is open to criticism and revisions by other researchers. Here is an article that suggests looking at the IAT variables differently.
I think it is important to understand more of the complicated nature of the unconsious operation of our minds.
I do not want to discuss implicit biases without some ideas on how one can counteract or be more reflective of his or her unconsious way of perceiving the world. I have two articles for you to read this week about how you can learn more about this topic:
How to Fight Racial Bias When It's Silent and Subtle
How to Fight Your Own Implicit Biases
Additionally, one way, as a future leader, you can counteract implicit bias is to think about how to be more inclusive in your workplace. Below are a short list of TED Talks that address examining our biases, diversity, and inclusion.
The topic of leadership and diversity has been mentioned in the videos for this module, however, most of how and why diversity matters to those in leadership positions and what leaders can do to be more inclusive are in your course readings. In addition to the resources listed above, here are the additional resources for this week's module:
What do Leaders Need to Understand About Diversity