Organizational Leadership and Implicit Bias: A Detailed Report

This report delves into the concept of implicit bias within organizational leadership. It begins with an explanation of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and how it's used to measure the strength of associations between different classifications, such as gender or ethnicity, and attributes like positive or negative. The report then discusses the implications of these unconscious biases in the workplace, including their impact on decision-making, team dynamics, and overall organizational performance. The author shares their personal IAT results, highlighting their biases, and explores strategies for mitigating these biases, such as self-awareness, training, and the implementation of inclusive policies. The report references several scholarly articles to support its claims and concludes by emphasizing the importance of creating an inclusive environment that values diversity.

Running head: IMPLICIT BIAS 1
Organizational leadership; Implicit Bias
Name
Institution

IMPLICIT BIAS 2
I discovered the Implicit Association Test (IAT) is applied to determine the level of
connection between specific classifications such as male vs. female and attribute classifications
such as negative vs. positive. I also learned comparison of the answers' latencies for two
differently combined classification tasks, places the target and attribute classifications in bipolar
dimensions through the comparison of answers' latencies for two differently combined
classification tasks (Teige-Mocigemba, Klauer, & Sherman, 2016, 2016). Thus the IAT operates
on the assumption that when the mind of a participant strongly associates two conceptions, it's
easier to classify them if the two conceptions have the same response.
Deliberations reviled Teige-Mocigemba, Klauer, & Sherman, (2016 ) describe an IAT
process that is similar to the procedure followed in
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html. Taking the IAT, I am required to
classify stimuli that represented four different categories using two response keys, each
connected to two of the four classifications. I did two Project implicit tests; the Disability
IAT and the Asian IAT.
My results for the Disability IAT show that I do not have an automatic preference
between disabled and abled people. The second test was the Asian IAT. My results show that I
have a robust automatic association for American with European American and foreign with
Asian American. The data collected from these IAT tests can be used to explain the mindset of
people at an individual and societal level. What many people automatically associate with at a
conscious level is a reflection of the biases within the society (Greenberg, 2015).
Further research showed me that Holroyd, Scaife, and Stafford (2017) describe implicit bias
as the automatic cognitive relation of a concept with a negative attribute or stereotype; these biases can
influence behavior and judgment without a person being consciously aware. It is, therefore, imperative that a
leader.

IMPLICIT BIAS 3
I found it Considers implicit biases in themselves and the people they lead. Furthermore, as I
interacted with other people, negative associations or stereotypes came into play. A person may have
non-prejudicial thoughts and beliefs about a stigmatized group but made unconscious negative
cognitive associations with stereotypic traits concerning people from this group. This affected
interactions between workers and ultimately reduced the overall performance of the work-team.
I observed that although implicit biases occur without a person's conscious knowledge,
they can consciously control them by trying to suppress negative associations. i would apply
this within the workplace; individuals took the possible bias they may have held when making
work-related decisions or interacting with stigmatized groups to stop the effects of implicit
biases. I also found discussing and responsibly addressing stereotypical assumptions is also
helpful. Organizations have adopted the trend of the strict prohibition of expression of acts such
as racism and sexism that are rooted in bias through the enforcement of policies and rules that
create a more inclusive and conducive environment for stigmatized groups, I think this may
cause people with implicit biases to consciously work towards suppressing or eliminating
stereotypic associations concerning these groups.
Ultimately many of our organization strive to create an inclusive environment by
recognizing and applying the diverse nature of our society. I find Ewoh (2013) covers a
multifaceted approach towards managing different individuals within an organization with the
aim of inclusion. Organization managers should identify diversity leaders and create a support
system for these individuals. These diversity leaders should then learn the goals of the
organization concerning diversity. Furthermore, I think women and other minorities should be
involved in the policymaking process to ensure their interests are represented (Ewoh, 2013)

IMPLICIT BIAS 4
Reference
Ewoh, A. I. (2013). Managing and valuing diversity: Challenges to public managers in the
21st century. Public Personnel Management, 42(2), 107-122.
Greenberg, E. E. (2015). Fitting the Forum to the Pernicious Fuss: A Dispute System Design to
Address Implicit Bias and'Isms in the Workplace. Cardozo J. Conflict Resol., 17, 75.
Holroyd, J., Scaife, R., & Stafford, T. (2017). Responsibility for implicit bias. Philosophy
Compass, 12(3), e12410.
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
Teige-Mocigemba, S., Klauer, K. C., & Sherman, J. W. (2016). A practical guide to
Implicit Association Task and related tasks.