In recent months, RW3 has been particularly focused on addressing the diversity, equity, and inclusion needs of our clients. The need for inclusive work cultures and the stable employee engagement it can foster is relevant now more than ever.
One of the pillars of inclusion is understanding how implicit bias affects our ability to act inclusively. Our new course, "Overcoming Implicit Bias," is designed to give professionals the conceptual and practical knowledge needed to identify implicit bias in the workplace and mitigate its impact on their teams and organizations.
Highlights of the "Overcoming Implicit Bias" Course
Targeted Assessment: Self-assessments are a hallmark of all CultureWizard courses. We use simple prompts that, when answered honestly, provide a gauge for learners to better understand how they respond to different concepts, values, and behaviors.
In this new course, we've streamlined the assessment to ask only six questions that specifically address different manifestations of bias. Throughout the assessment, learners receive personalized feedback based on their answers. This feedback can help guide their approach to subsequent course modules.
Pause-Reflect Model: Perhaps the most important module of the course introduces what we call the "Pause-Reflect Model." The crux of the Pause-Reflect Model is the importance of taking a moment to consider a situation before reacting to it. The model has four parts:
- Pause: This is the simplest but often most difficult step to take. Especially in a work environment, where we are so frequently multitasking and hustling to make decisions efficiently, we can easily forget to stop ourselves. Nevertheless, this step is necessary in order to identify moments when bias is impacting our perceptions and behaviors. As you learn to identify how bias impacts people in the workplace, you'll also learn to identify moments when it's imperative to pause.
- Reflect: The reflection step is where you make use of the time you've taken to check in with yourself. How are you feeling? What associations are you making, both positive and negative? How have you been socialized to view the people or behaviors in this situation?
- Evaluate: This is perhaps the most complex step in the model. Now that you have tuned into what your feelings and perceptions, it's time to consider how you should go about making your decision. What evidence supports or contradicts your beliefs? How should that impact your choices? This steps typically requires you to do your own research, ask questions, or speak with stakeholders.
- Act: Once you have taken the time to slow down, consider your role in the situation, and weigh your available options, then it's time to take action. As you integrate the Pause-Reflect model into your daily actions, you’ll find it can help you identify moments of bias, lead you to new conclusions, and, with practice and mindfulness, make more inclusive decisions.
Practice, Practice, Practice: Several modules in the course give learners the opportunity to put their new skills and knowledge into practice. We've crafted many scenarios highlighting different forms of implicit bias, and each exercise is designed to hone a different skill. As you progress through the course, these scenarios will help you first identify implicit bias, recognize its impact on decision-making, and integrate that knowledge into a more inclusive approach.
Throughout our inclusion content, RW3 reinforces that inclusion is an ongoing, ever-evolving process. This course provides fundamental skills that will help frame your inclusion journey so you can adopt best practices and start making the most of your professional interactions and endeavors.
