Giving Compass' Take:

• All humans have biases that impede our ability to work effectively with a variety of people. By understanding and overcoming our biases, we can become more productive. 

• What are your biases? What have you missed out on because of these biases? 

• The things humans build are also susceptible to human bias. Learn how to combat bias in AI. 

By understanding our biases and making slight adjustments to counteract them, we find that we are capable of making more informed decisions and working more productively with a variety of people.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Become aware.

Bias can be most damaging in pressured moments of decision-making. Start by reviewing decision points at work where you may be relying on biased shortcuts.

Once you uncover an area where you may have bias, write down a description of a situation when the bias took place. Explain who, what, where, when, and why. Now, consider how your decision-making could be improved if you became more conscious of the particular bias.

Step 2: Find your trigger.

Write a list of all the situations in which you are most likely to experience your bias. Start to notice if you exhibit your biases in meetings, before a particularly tough decision, over email, when you talk to a specific group or person, or when you’re in certain moods.

Step 3: Slow down.

Research shows that bias happens more often when we are rushed, stressed, or excited. Research also shows that taking a pause can help us switch off the “flight or fight” automatic brain response and improve our ability to engage in rational thought.

Step 4: Do one small thing differently.

Choose a simple action that can help you counteract snap judgements.  Research shows that repeating the same new action every time you experience your trigger for bias is the best way to retrain your neural pathway. When done enough, this new action can become habitual.

Read the full article on combating bias by Cindy Chen and Farah Mahesri at Devex International Development