Diversity and Unconscious Bias
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Register Your InterestDiversity and Unconscious Bias
Overview
Unconscious bias at work can have an impact on recruitment, promotion, staff development and even staff retention. It can lead to a less diverse and inclusive workforce. To promote diverse and inclusive workplaces, employees must understand how unconscious bias can impact decision-making at an individual and organisational level.
Including a wide variety of perspectives in our working lives and creating equal opportunities for everyone regardless of their identity can be challenging. Practising truly inclusive decision-making is difficult due to attitudes held unconsciously that impact how individuals think about and behave towards others. As organisations face unprecedented challenges, evidence indicates that diversity enhances performance across innovation and adaptation. Diverse teams and organisations ultimately achieve greater success, enjoying increased profitability, stronger governance and better problem-solving abilities (Harvard Business Review, November 2016).
In this Masterclass you will explore what diversity means in a modern work environment. You will examine evidence highlighting unconscious bias's impact on building a more inclusive organisation. You will explore inclusive decision-making and learn how to mitigate the harmful impact of unconscious bias.
The Masterclass is offered in two formats:
- Taster Session
- Masterclass
The Taster Session and the Masterclass are designed and delivered independently.
The Taster Session is designed to introduce you to Diversity and Unconscious Bias and how these can influence decision-making. It provides a unique opportunity to become familiar with the concepts and identify how these relate to you and your workplace.
The Masterclass provides a comprehensive understanding of Unconscious Bias, Diversity and Inclusion. It explores these concepts from a range of perspectives and contexts. It introduces tools and techniques to help identify bias in decision-making and its impact on individuals, teams and organisations.
Completion of the Taster Session is not a pre-requisite for Masterclass participation.
What topics will you cover?
Taster Session (1 x 1-hour online workshop)
Topics:
- Unconscious Bias, Diversity and Inclusion;
- Bias in your business, where bias may be impacting decision-making in your organisation.
The Taster Session aims to provide you with:
- An understanding of diversity and inclusion within an organisational context;
- An insight into where bias may be impacting decision-making in your organisation.
On completion of the Taster Session, a Certificate of Attendance will be provided.
Masterclass (1 x 3-hour online workshop)
Topics:
- Evidence - an examination of the evidence for bias and how it impacts organisations;
- Awareness - exercises and tools for developing awareness of how bias impacts your thinking and decision-making;
- Tools - introduction of tools to help mitigate harmful impacts of bias and create more diverse and inclusive workplaces.
On completion of the Masterclass, you will be able to:
- Identify bias in your thinking and decision-making and develop strategies for managing it;
- Recognise the role that unconscious bias plays in modern work environments;
- Apply tools and techniques to help alleviate bias and lessen its influence on individuals and teams;
- Develop a more inclusive and diverse workplace culture that ensures equitable access to resources and opportunities for all.
On completion of the Masterclass, a Certificate of Completion will be provided.
Who is this Masterclass for?
The Taster Session and Masterclass are designed for everyone who wants to learn about unconscious bias. It is suitable for those working in the private and public sector and those working in voluntary and community organisations who wish to create an inclusive working environment.
Who teaches the Masterclass?
Jess Hayden BA, MSc
Jess is an organisational psychologist who works with clients who are trying to break boundaries. Jess helps prepare leaders and teams to withstand challenging situations at work and find their optimum performance environment using tools and evidence from emotional intelligence, decision-making and innovation research.
Lucy McKenna BA, MA
Lucy is a learning designer, facilitator and coach, with a focus on innovation and change. Lucy has extensive experience designing impactful programmes that take individuals and teams on a journey from reflection to action. Drawing on research and tools from coaching and design she facilitates leaders to push outside their comfort zone and tackle challenges in innovative and creative ways.
Time, Date, and Place
Taster Session: One 1-hour interactive online live webinar.
Masterclass: One 3-hour interactive online live webinar.
Attendees should have a computer with microphone and video capability and are expected to participate in these interactive sessions.