Culture of Inclusion event #2 recap: “Recognizing how implicit bias affects the workplace" with Silvia Siquera
The keynote speaker for the second event in the Culture of Inclusion series, focusing on the effect of implicit bias in the workplace, was Silvia Siquera. Silvia is a strategic and global leader with more than 20 years of experience working with new environments, inclusion challenges, and different cultures. She won the Diversity Business Leader Award in 2019 from the Dallas Business Journal.
The event began with a short clip from a TED Talk, “How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias,” with speaker Valerie Alexander. You can watch the video here.
Understanding Inherent vs. Acquired Diversity Traits
According to Siquera, everyone possesses traits that fall into one of two types of diversity categories—inherent or acquired. Aspects of diversity which fall under the inherent category are things that one is born with, including nationality, religious background, gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, socio-economic background, and disability.
Acquired traits occur through lived-experience and include cultural fluency, generational savvy, gender smarts, technological literacy, cross-functional knowledge, global experience, military experience, and language skills. Acquired traits provide opportunities for knowledge and openness to a more inclusive mindset towards all individuals.
“Who we are is shaped by our experiences, by what we know…we see others based on our knowledge of the world,” said Siquera.
What is unconscious bias?
To further frame the conversation and bring the audience to a common understanding of unconscious bias, Siquera provided a definition from Insight Education Systems. Unconscious bias is “the positions we hold about others that are influenced by past experiences, forming filters that cause conclusions to be reached about groups or ethnicities, by ways other than through active thought or reasoning.”
Because bias is intrinsic to who we are, it is important to discover ways of acknowledging it within ourselves and determine how to avoid its potential negative effects. Not all bias is bad, but it can be problematic when it causes prejudice or unfair treatment of certain groups.
Where do the roots of personal bias come from?
Bias begins with each person’s individual life story. “We are a result of our past experiences and where we come from” said Siquiera. “Having two working parents shaped my view of working women… I did not know that friends may not have two working parents… Everybody worked.”
Through Siquera’s experience as a child, she learned to value the efforts of working parents. She’s actively had to reflect on the assumptions she has of individuals who choose to stay home instead of work. Siquera encourages self-reflection for those who want to gain a better understanding of personal biases, “To be more inclusive to ourselves, to those around us, and then to organizations and communities, we really need to know our story.”
Siquera invites the audience to ponder four questions:
- Where did you grow up?
- What messages did you receive about work as a child?
- What were the messages related to age, gender, or culture?
- What positive or possible biases do you hold today as a result?
Reflection supports the development of self-awareness. It allows individuals to not only better understand themselves but also be more empathetic towards those around them.
What can you do as an organization to create a more inclusive workplace?
Siquera suggests that organizations seek out individuals both internally and externally who can provide new perspective, invest in education surrounding inclusion, and make efforts to become more aware of shortcomings.
“You need to see feedback as a gift,” encouraged Siquera. More and more organizations and companies are making conscious efforts towards inclusion, which is positive for all as we seek to create more inclusive workplaces and communities.
For those interested in further exploring this subject, Siquera suggests the following books:
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