Unconscious Bias

Workplace Culture

Unconscious bias isn’t a disease. It is the inevitable byproduct of the efficiency of human cognition. When unchecked, it reinforces stereotypes, leads to sloppy decision-making and often harms individuals or groups who do not enjoy power and status. While it doesn’t have a ‘cure’, it can be addressed by slowing down, questioning and seeking divergent perspectives. The key to navigating unconscious bias is specific, initially awkward, conversations that scale up to systemic change.

Key Outcomes

Reflect on individual and collective biases through facilitated activities with colleagues
Understand the cognitive processes that result in unconscious bias
Learn practical strategies to facilitate conversations about unconscious bias in your team
Practice slowing down, reconsidering, questioning and listening

Featured project

Productivity Commission

Supporting a robust, diverse workplace culture within the Productivity Commission

The Productivity Commission provides independent research and advice to the Australian Government on economic, social and environmental issues affecting the welfare of Australians. In 2021, the Commission sought awareness and communication skills training that would help them work better across…

Our Approach

We begin the training by facilitating a conversation about what we each notice in common decision-making processes. Each person will be alert to different features of the scenarios, revealing our conditioned responses. Taking a moment to hear from others and broadening perspective is the best way to gently unravel unconscious bias. The training enables participants to slow down the conversation to create space for discussion and perspective sharing, to reconsider the rationale behind the decisions, ask questions to uncover assumptions at play, and to listen to perspectives of others. Central to this training is the idea that bad intent isn’t the culprit; instead, ingrained norms and fast-paced working environments lead to short-cut decision-making processes. Our training helps you make practical progress on the effects of unconscious bias without getting caught up in the traps of guilt and grievance.