Recognizing Bias with Project Implicit

Paula Allen, CVA, VP Programs & Advocacy

Once you take one of the tests, find someone to discuss it with, whether on your team or a close friend or family member. It can be unsettling to some to uncover a previously hidden preference or bias. Sit with the idea and examine how you feel it impacts your personal and professional life.

Think of ways you could mitigate the effect of the bias on volunteer selection for your organization. For instance, this article from the Harvard Business School details how name bias affects minorities applying for jobs, even amongst pro-diversity employers. Could you assign incoming volunteer applications a discrete number, rather than list name and/or gender? How would not seeing that information impact your process of volunteer selection?

Each of us has the opportunity to improve and make our organizations better, one step at a time. Recognizing implicit bias and finding a way around focusing on names is just one way to approach building a more just practice.