BIAS OR NOT?Are you aware of your judgments or does the unconscious influence you too?

BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF

In the next pages you will find different situations and examples.Follow your intuition... The first impression counts!

WHO IS THE FASTER RUNNER?

or

Florence Griffith-Joyner

Michael C. Hall

Florence Griffith-Joyner is actually one of the fastest runners of the USA

WHO WOULD YOU HIRE?

(Assume all are equally qualified)

or

Position: Marketing Director

or

Position: Trainee

or

Position: Bank Director

or

Position: PR Representative

or

Position: Construction Manager

or

Position: Nurse

Want to give it another shot?

or

What is the safer method of transport?

or

What are you most afraid of?

or

The chances of dying in a vehicle accident is 1 in 84, asopposed to a 1 in 5,000 chance of dying in a airplanecrash…

Are you more afraid of the shark or the lion?

The World Health Organization estimates that morethan 1 million people die yearly due to mosquitobites.

Statistics show that falling coconuts are a much morelikely to hit us than to be attacked by a shark.

or

Who is more competent?

The nicely dressed doctor on the left is on German TV daily to give hisexpertise for advertisement purposes only. He has nothing to do withhealth concerns nor is he a doctor.

The smoker was Germany´s Chancellor for 8 years – Helmut Schmidt

You are managing a new software development that your company hasdeveloped. Already $ 50,000 and a lot of time has been invested to date.Unfortunately, the software program was unsuccessful in the initial launch and itmay not have the initial ROI that was projected. The software was alreadyupdated twice to make it more customer friendly. One of your team membershas another idea, and asks for $ 5,000 to give it another shot.

What will you do?

Support his idea andincrease the investmentto a total of $ 55,000

Deny the request and end the project

Support his idea could turn theprojects around. But also:

Denying the request and ending the project enables you to:

Let’s look at the facts:

- You already invested $ 50,000- $ 5,000 = 10% of $ 50,000- You invested lots of time- The product launch was initially unsuccessful in the market- It was already updated TWO times before, but to no avail

One of the big problems in project management is not to know when to stop. This can ruin an entirebusinesses. The bias is that once one has reached a certain degree of engagement (investment of time,money, interest, public confirmation etc.) the value of the subject increases and one will have a harder timeof letting it go.

Focus on new projects Use your resources for other opportunities Use the money to invest in something else Learn from your mistakes Avoid further frustration

• Limits new projects• Limits resources• Increases further

investment• Increases frustration• Can lead to demotivation

We have preferences towards:

• People who sound like us

• People who look/dress similar

• People who have similar hobbies to us

• People who appear physically fit and well prepared

• People from the same college, university or city of birth

• People of the same sex, race, religious conviction, nationality

We tend to be bias against:

• People who seem weak or unhealthy

• People who look or sound different to us

• People with different values or principles

• People with very different backgrounds than our own

• People who we may find it hard to relate to, because of a lack of similar interests or

hobbies

To summarize…

Join our half-day open

course on Unconscious Bias

in December. Pick the best

date* for you here.

Venue Details:

Kwintessential

Penhurst House,

352-356 Battersea Park Rd,

London, SW11 3BY

So you got the idea. But don’t

worry, it is normal to have

prejudices and they often

even help. However it is even

more helpful when you are

aware of them.

Let us show you examples

and strategies on how to

realise unconscious

decisions and to take

advantage of them in the

context of the workplace.

* Course will run provided a minimum number of attendees sign up for the same date.