Unit 7 The Role of Personal Ethics

Source: pinterest.ca

Picture pause: Check out the phrase at the top left of the picture that reads: “…instinctively categorizing people and things without being aware of it.” Unconscious bias: here we come

Overview

In Unit 7, we will go from looking at what makes decisions happen to an introduction to how our ethics can impact our bias. We like to think we are free of bias and can look objectively at people and situations, but in this Unit we will learn that this is just not always the case.

There are biases that we are aware of and will make decisions accordingly and understand the consequences. It is the unconscious biases that are deep within in us that we are not aware that they are there. We all have them. Biases may be innocent such a “I will not try Indian food just because I believe I will not like it.” But a bias that says “I will not hire women” impacts the reputation of the company, and becomes an unethical practice. Consciously or unconsciously, it is bias towards people, gender, age, culture that impact our decision making in everything from hiring practices to the friends we choose.

  • In Unit 7 we will delve into what biases are and how they impact our decision making. The biggest challenge comes in how to prevent the negative impact of bias it within yourself, in a business, or the culture. This unit will lead you to ponder questions such as:

    • Have I ever been a victim of biases?

    • Have I even seen unethical practices played out?

Most of us believe that we are ethical and unbiased. We imagine we’re good decision makers, able to objectively size up a job candidate or a venture deal and reach a fair and rational conclusion that’s in our, and our organization’s, best interest.

But more than two decades of research confirms that, in reality, most of us fall woefully short of our inflated self-perception….The prevalence of these biases suggests that even the most well-meaning person unwittingly allows unconscious thoughts and feelings to influence seemingly objective decision. These flawed judgements are ethically problematic…

Source: How (Un)ethical Are You? pg 115

Topics

This unit is divided into the following topics:

  1. Discovering the impact of unconscious biases on personal ethics
  2. Uncovering the impact of unconscious biases on leadership and decision making
  3. Preventing bias based un-ethical decisions as a leader

7.1 Learning Outcomes

When you have completed this unit, you should be able to:

  • Examine and analyze how your personal biases play out in your decisions
  • Explain and understand the unconscious biases
  • Identify how leaders can protect their decision making from personal bias

Activity Checklist

Here is a checklist of learning activities you will benefit from in completing this unit. You may find it useful for planning your work.

  • Activity 7.1: Readings - Textbook: HBR On Making Smart Decisions: How (Un)Ethical Are You?)
  • Activity 7.2: Implicit Association Test (IAT) - Explore and complete at least one topic from the Implicit Association Test (IAT)
  • Activity 7.3: Reflective discussion - Group reflective discussion looking at your biases: IAT and page 120 in text.
  • Activity 7.4: Observing how personal ethics drives decisions - Movie choices
  • Activity 7.5: The Vigilant Leader and Role Play
  • Activity 7.6: TED Talk - We Need a Moral Operating System - Damon Horowitz
  • Activity 7.7: Bias Definitions and Phone-A-Friend
  • Assessment: Discussion Forum

Resources

Here are the resources you will need to complete this unit.

7.2 Discovering the Unconscious Biases Within Us

Source: labmanager.com

Biases are not simply how we react to things or other people. Biases are actually a reflection of our thoughts, often at an unconscious level, based in our experiences, and impacted by our culture.

Consider the following statements:

What do you think of when I say?

  • Salt and ___­­­­___________ (Pepper)
  • Black and _____________ (White)
  • Night and _____________ (Day)
  • Thunder and __________ (Lightning)

Unconscious biases, also known as implicit biases, are grounded in our attitudes and the way we stereotype. We then unconsciously apply these attitudes and stereotypes to a person or group, and it then affects the way we interact with that person or group. These kinds of associations develop over our lifetime based primarily on what is culturally common. Through our personal experiences, these associations may develop into personal biases.

Social media can also lead us into developing implicit prejudice. A post on a new book or a beautiful vacation spot may receive 100 likes the first hour: it must be a great!

Facebook, Twitter, Google have all been said to influence a bias towards environment, gun control, gay marriage, political views, abortion, and other cultural concerns simply by what they allow or do not allow to be posted. Recently Twitter and Facebook banned postings from the New York Post because the NY Post news story was not supported by Twitter and Facebook.

How many things influence you day to day? Who and what is it that brings that influence? It is those influences that can begin to form biases. What is interesting about our biases is that we begin to socialize and listen to people who share our same biases. It is these biases that then begin to dictate our values and defining what is right and wrong. This can all happen and we may not even be aware it is happening.

As one of the activities in this unit, be sure to take the Implicit Association Test (IAT). (Find more information on the IAT on page 118 of the course Text). Below are a few of the implicit biases presented in the IAT.

1. Affinity Bias

”Affinity bias, also known as similarity bias, is the tendency people have to connect with others who share similar interests, experiences and backgrounds.” When hiring, choosing friends, deciding on who is eligible for a position become biased towards people who fit into a certain culture. We ask questions like, “Will they fit in?” While there is a place for that, it should be only a part of the decision and must include the other qualities, experiences and personality that could benefit the organization or group.

2. Confirmation Bias

“Confirmation bias is the inclination to draw conclusions about a situation or person based on your personal desires, beliefs and prejudices rather than on unbiased merit.” We looked at this type of bias in Unit 6 when studying the decision making hidden traps. We have a tendency to give the highest value to people who think like us, share our values and perspectives. As a result, we do not give due consideration to the people who are not just like us.

3. The Halo and Horns Effect

“The halo effect is the tendency people have to place another person on a pedestal after learning something impressive about them.” The Horns effect is simply the opposite in knocking someone off the pedestal after learning something negative about them. In both the halo and horns effect, it results in people loosing clarity and true understanding the personality, skills, and competancies about the person begin considered.

4. Personal Biases: Gender, Age, Beauty

Unconscious biases are deep within us concerning personal traits. We associate these things what we have learned as positive and negative in our growing up years. We are impacted buy the influences we have in our workplace or the culture where we live.

While it is changing to some degree, our culture continues to have ideas about a “woman’s job” or a “man’s job”. We also fall trap into admire the advise from a man or a woman based on the topic.

Age is always a consideration even while we are not aware of it. We quickly consider if the person is too old or too young. Can a 30 year old doctor know as much as a 50 year old doctor? Is it worth it to invest training into a 50 year old employee compared to a 30 year old employee?

Beauty is another bias that sees the personal traits of someone as the defining factors for who is valuable in a certain situation. “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” Beauty is defined by the observer, but it is not a standard to be successful within an organization, as a friend, or as a leader.

Biases and Cognitive Errors

Source: psychologytoday.com

A category of biases, known as cognitive biases, are repeated patterns of thinking that can lead to inaccurate or unreasonable conclusions. Cognitive biases may help people make quicker decisions, but those decisions aren’t always accurate. Some common reasons why include flawed memory, scarce attention, natural limits on the brain’s ability to process information, emotional input, social pressures, and even aging. When assessing research—or even one’s own thoughts and behaviors—it’s important to be aware of cognitive biases and attempt to counter their effects whenever possible.

Source: psychologytoday.com

Learning Activities

Activity 7.1: Read Text

📘 : Textbook: HBR On Making Smart Decisions: How (Un)Ethical Are You?

Note that the Learning Activities are ungraded, unless otherwise specified. They are designed to help you succeed in your assessments in this course, so you are strongly encouraged to complete them.

Activity 7.2: Implicit Association Test (IAT)

💻: Click on the following link and take the test listed: Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Proceed with the topic of your choice. There are many questions that you can answer quickly. At the end of the test, it will present the findings of the ways you may demonstrate bias. The IAT is looking at your implicit biases, the ones you may not even be aware you have.

Activity 7.3:Implicit Association Test Results – Reflective Discussion

🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏻: Group reflective discussion

🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏻: Reflective discussion - learning partners

Use Page the results of your IAT and page 120 in the text: “Are You Biased”

This serves as a discussion framework looking at your personal tendency for bias

  1. Were you aware of the biases identified by the IAT?
  2. How is your communication impacted by your biases?
  3. Where did you learn this bias? Culture? Family? Personal experience?

Questions to Consider

After completing the activities above, consider the following questions:

  • Do you believe you have personal biases? Did that surprise you?
  • Reflect on how your biases have impacted your decision making

7.3 Uncovering the Impact of Unconscious Biases and Decision Making

Source: americantheatre.org

For more years than care to think about, I made hiring decisions based on my first impression. I would do all the right things: use prescribed interview questions, carefully review references, but at an unconscious level there were people I did not want to work in my organization. A weak hand shake? Tattoo on the neck? Wrinkled shirt? These were a few of the things that eliminate a candidate from consideration.

While I was not aware of these unconscious biases, I later recognized they drove my decisions.

After attending trainings on hiring practices along with self-reflection, thankfully, I began to recognize my implicit prejudice. I was able to make changes in my hiring practices and decisions. I included my team in the interview process. We used objective criteria and required a 70% agreement for all hiring decisions.

While these are significant changes in hiring practices, it brought unexpected changes in my organization. Productivity and creativity improved dramatically. I realized that I had been depriving the organization of talent and fresh ideas because I did not like their hand shake.

Lessons Learned.

  • I looked beyond my bias. I was able to see and evaluated the perspective employee through the eyes and perspective of my colleagues. Over time, I was able to overcome the bias and initially see candidates for their skills and potential.
  • Bringing my colleagues into the hiring decisions brought varied perspectives I had not considered. Unexpectedly, it brought trust, respect, and bonding among our team.

Learning Activities

Activity 7.4: Movie

🎞️ Choose a movie to watch from the Ethical Movies section of Ethics Online Ireland]. Each movie will demonstrate how unethical decision-making impacts the lives of others.

(Another movie option that is not on the list is Erin Brockovich (2000))

Reflect on the following:

  1. What was the role of personal ethics?
  2. How did personal ethics lead to a focus to pursue a controversial cause?
  3. Was your personal conflict actually based in an ethical dilemma?
  4. Other observations?

Oral Presentation:

  • Prepare a 4 - 5 minute video
  • Briefly describe the plot of the movie
  • Describe the ethical dilemma or personal conflict you observed
  • Identify a similar conflict you have personally experienced, have observed in an organization, or seen it within your county

7.4 Protecting Against Biased Based Un-ethical Decisions as a Leader

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could turn on an internal eraser and delete all of our implicit prejudice and unconscious bias? While we cannot do that, there are definitely things that as a leader we can do to decrease the negative impact. The article Vigilant Leader is packed with leadership direction, but the theme is about the necessity of looking outside of yourself in planning, evaluating, and decision making. In doing this, we gather new ideas and perspectives, we have broader comparison, and collaboration.

The teaching in the topic is focused on reading the Vigilant Leader, taking notes, and sharing your findings with your Group. In the article, you will learn ways to avoid unconscious biases, but also discover some powerful leadership practices. The article will take about 15 minutes to read so get comfortable and be prepared to learn some very practical and sensible information!

Learning Activities

Activity 7.5: Vigilant Leaders avoiding bias and un-ethical decision: Role Play

📘 : Read the following article: Are You a Vigilant Leader?

With your Group, consider the need for a vigilant manager

After reading the article, think about these things:

  • What are 3 characteristics you would describe as keys for a vigilant leader to be effective?
  • In your own words, describe your impression of what a vigilant leader is.

Engage in a Role Play using this scenario: The new CEO had just issued a directive stating that women could be hired only if they have long hair and under 40 years old. As the Department Manager, how will you decide to respond? What will you do?

🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏻: Following the Role Play, share a situation where you have observed workplace bias. Was it able to be turned around or stopped?

Watch: We need a “moral operating system” - Damon Horowitz

  • With your Group, reflect on the impact of purposely talking with people who think differently that you do, or from different countries, or from different professions.
  • How does that impact our decisions?

7.4.0.1 Activity 7.7: Unconscious Bias Definition: Phone a Friend

Working with your Group, complete the worksheet.

  1. As a group, complete the “What is it?” column
  2. For the example, each person in your group will call someone to ask them to describe an example of any or all of the listed biases

Suggested format for the call:

  • Hello friend. I am working on a project for my university class. Would you help me with a few questions? Your name will not be used – I would just like your input.
  • Implicit prejudice is …………………. Do you see examples of this in our culture? Please describe.
  • This format may be used for all four definitions.

Activity 7.7 Worksheet

Unit 7 Summary

In this unit, we have had the opportunity to learn about how biases impact decision making. Before we leave this topic, we should pause to consider one more aspect of biases and decision making. We must recognize that biases not only impact decisions; it is through our decisions that our biases impact people.

There was one person who was able to put cultural and personal biases aside when making decision about people; that is Jesus Christ. The Bible has many stories about the decisions Jesus made, but there are two in particular I will describe.

There was a woman who endured a strong negative bias because she was a prostitute. Culturally, decisions were made that the townspeople could not associate with her. But Jesus made a different decision. He did not see the woman as a prostitute to be shunned but saw her as a person who needed his care and respect. He made a decision to sit with her, visit, and offer advise for her future.

The children were viewed by adults with a strong negative bias and were viewed as an interruption to adult conversation. When Jesus saw the children, his decision was opposite from townspeople. He told them to let the children be a part of their conversation; He decided to include them rather than push them away.

Our biased-filled decisions can be hurtful to others.

Questions to Consider

  • How would you describe your personal ethics?
  • Do you identify with any of the unconscious biases discussed in this unit?

Assessment

Forum Post

After completing this unit, including the learning activities, you are asked to participate in the Online Discussion Forum by responding to the instructor’s prompt.

Instructor’s prompt:

“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” Tony Robbins

In review of our course material, listening to the stories of others and reflecting on my experiences, it is clear that making a good decision does not happen automatically. It is not dependent upon age, ethnicity, gender, or education. In Unit 4 we learned about the value of asking questions through an inquiry process, and in Unit 6, the value of asking questions in critical thinking. While decisions can be made considering the face value of things, good decisions require asking questions to gather enough information on which to base a decision.

It is easier to trust people who ask questions in decision making. It represents maturity and a willingness to consider the positives and negatives with a willingness to ask the hard questions. Leaders who asks questions inspire their team as with new possibilities.

Questioning is a key to strength in leadership. In the article Conquering a culture of indecision, Charan tells the story about a CEO making a decision on a business venture. The CEO peppered the data-gathering Manager with questions. “Just how are you going….?” “What alternatives do…?” “What customers do…?” The questions were the path to understanding the venture, and also provided coaching for the Manager in the decision making process.

Units 1 – 7 include different processes that play into decision making: bias, inquiry, dialogue or others. In the movie you have watched, describe the role of one of the decision processes you observed in the movie. How did it benefit or challenge the character or movie plot? Did you see a connection between values and good decision making? Describe. What was a leadership lesson you took away from the movie regarding the decision process?

Checking your Learning

Before you move on to the next unit, make sure that you are able to:

  • Examine and analyze how your personal biases play out in your decisions
  • Explain and understand the unconscious biases
  • Identify how leaders can protect their decision making from personal bias and be a vigilant leader