Does Unconscious Bias Training Work?

Will this solution work?  This is the most important question you can ever ask.

One of the benefits of taking a science based approach to harassment training is that you not only can more effectively stop harassment and bullying, you can also improve your team diversity.  Harassment and discrimination suppress diversity. It's part of the mix of why creating diverse yet cohesive work teams is so difficult. 

The Equality and Human Rights Commission published a report on the effectiveness of unconscious bias training - looking at the actual evidence on whether they work or not. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/research-report-113-unconcious-bais-training-an-assessment-of-the-evidence-for-effectiveness-pdf.pdf

It's worth reading but here are the highlights of the findings. Training can improve awareness of unconscious bias. But, if you want behavioral change – you need to have a behavioral training and finally – there is no difference in learning between online and face to face learning outcomes on this topic.

Regarding whether it was mandatory or voluntary. Mandatory training is more likely to lead to behavioral change AND – team trainings are effective because they help the team self reinforce the learning.

One of the reasons I feel ok offering online training, is because it's as effective as face to face training in this area.  See: Box 8. Comparing methods of delivery of UBT

(This study was rated at MSSM Level 3, ‘moderately rigorous’)
Google (2013) conducted an experiment in the US to evaluate whether their UBT
workshop met the training’s aims of increased awareness and understanding of
unconscious bias and motivation to overcome it. Participants were randomly
allocated to one of three groups: participation in a live workshop, online self-study
video of the workshop, or no UBT (control group). A self-report survey was used to
measure participants’ awareness and understanding of unconscious bias and
motivation to overcome it. Participants’ awareness and understanding of
unconscious bias and motivation to overcome it were significantly higher post-test
compared with pre-test in both online and face-to-face groups, compared with the
control group. Results persisted one month after the workshop. Notably, face-toface
training did not yield stronger effects than online training.

Bias reduction strategies are scientific, evidence based methods for decreasing levels of implicit bias (for example, challenging participants’ unconscious negative thinking by presenting positive counter stereotypic images). In their rapid evidence assessment Cornish and Jones (2013)

identify a range of bias reduction strategies from the scientific research:

● Discounting commonly held stereotypes using positive and counter

stereotypic images.

● Changing how an outgroup member is evaluated and categorised through the

use of evaluative conditioning.

- Here, participants are exposed to repeated pairing of images of

outgroup members with positive images but in a way that disguises the

purpose of the activity from participants.

● Increasing contact between different groups to change the level of threat

evoked in the presence of an outgroup member.

● Encouraging people to take responsibility for their implicit biases by using

cognitive strategies such as implementation intentions (if-then action plans)

and appropriate attributions for outgroup behaviour.

● Encouraging participants to choose valuing diversity freely rather than through

fear of external sanction, or choosing a multicultural, rather than a colourblind,

approach to diversity.

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If you are looking for an online unconcious bias training - I offer one and it can  be bundled with other training programs to help staff not just become aware of their biases, but help them develop positive strategies and skills for dealing with differences so that they can overcome their biases.

https://humanistlearning.com/controlling-our-unconscious-bias/

What is the Key to Employee Engagement During Staff Training Programs?

Many of my customers think they need live training in order to ensure that staff are actively engaged in the training program so that they learn.  I'm obviously quite happy to provide a live training - especially if it's in a location I'd like to visit, but live training aren't necessary to engaged participation in a training.

In fact, when customers want a live training, I often require them to participate in an online training to prep participants for the live discussion by providing education on key concepts prior to the live discussion.

To help you understand the problem of employee engagement and why I don't think live is necessarily better - here is a recent Q&A I did with a reporter. 

Question: 

What is employee engagement? And why has it become so crucial in the present day? How does staff training play a key role in employee engagement?  How can brands increase their employee engagement during staff training? What are the key factors?

Answer: 

The training – has to be of interest to them. Something they want to learn. If they aren’t interested in learning whatever it is you are teaching – they will be disengaged and it really doesn’t matter what sorts of whistles and bells you add to the training.  An example – harassment training. Most of this training is geared towards managers telling them – to not bully or harass employees because – it’s illegal.  Any manager who is bullying or harassing employees – isn’t interested in stopping and doesn’t really care about the training – it doesn’t apply to them – it’s just a requirement they are forced to sit through.  If … on the other hand – you approach this as a training for people currently being harassed or bullied – and you teach them – how to make it stop – you will have VERY engaged learners. 

For things where everyone has to learn whatever it is – to get engagement  you need to provide a reason why they should care. Not just – why do they need to learn this to do their job – but why it matters?  Caring and mattering are moral and ethical judgements. Without a moral reason to learn something – why would anyone care? A moral and ethical dimension that should be included in any training. For example – when I do leadership training – I not only provide practical skills – I also provide philosophic tweaks. I appeal to people’s sense of morality and ethics – how the world should be ideally. What sort of person/leader do they want to be – ideally. Once I activate people’s moral compass and encourage them to think of themselves – not just as a manager – but as  a quality human being – we can use that to discuss how good people – behave in certain stressful situations and now people want to learn – because this is about them – being moral and ethical and the person they aspire to be. If you can activate people’s moral compass and make learning a skill seem like a moral imperative – you will engage them more readily than if you just – present information.

Some things – can’t be made all that engaging. For the things that aren’t engaging – you can at least make them fun and use gamification to help – keep people interested and participating. But even these things can include moral and ethical considerations. Even if you are just training someone on how to clean up a mess – how they impact others. How this impacts work flow – matters. 

To me – I distinguish between engaged- and active. Engaged learners – want to learn. Active learners – are actively learning – even if they don’t want to learn. 

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If you want to learn more about how ethics impacts employee motivation - I am speaking with Prof. Manuel Guillén on Nov 30th for a live online Q&A on the importance of morality on motivation. Information and registration for this free event here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/humanistic-management-professionals-lunch-and-learn-employee-motivation-with-prof-manuel-guillen-tickets-50782666322

And if you would like to organize a training for your leadership team or staff - please let me know. I offer humanistic management training that is both practical, science based and integrated ethical philosophy so that people participating in the training - really want to learn and more importantly - change what they are doing so that they can be more effective and ethical at the same time. A list of my humanistic management programs are here: 

https://humanistlearning.com/category/businesscourses/

Which is better, online or in person training?

Which is better depends on what you are teaching and why you want to learn it.

 

In an age of online information it is very easy to get access to learning resources for just about any subject or discipline. But is that the best way to learn? Online learning is efficient. It's accessible. I, personally, find it very effective. Best? If not, why? What do you (did you?) like better about a
"traditional" learning experience? The next Big Question asks: What is the big difference between learning online and traditional classroom learning?

I have an online training company so I do like online for some things. But what I teach is just knowledge transmission.   It doesn’t require a lot of coaching and practice.  Whether I teach it online or in person, it’s pretty much the same. The big different is Q&A.  It is much easier to have a discussion about implementation and make sure that comprehension is clear through a discussion – when it is in person.

I view online similar to reading a book or listening to an audio book. Different people want to self-study in different ways and online can facilitate that – especially if they are a motivated learner.  It is also useful for redundant training that is really just about making sure people receive knowledge (like a harassment training).

The hybrid model, though works well. My son likes to play Minecraft. He will watch online videos related to that and then excitedly come to his computer to try out what he has learned. He self educates through online content and active practice all the time.

On the other hand – he is also learning to do wood working. His dad is teaching him. This requires hands on in the workshop learning on how to saw, or sand or whatever. These sorts of hands on skills are best taught through apprenticeship.

So – which is better? Depends on what is being taught. Some things need to be experienced, others can be transmitted through a lecture (book, audiobook, or video).

I am a big fan of using evidence based approaches. So here is a research paper on the effectiveness of bias training. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/research-report-113-unconcious-bais-training-an-assessment-of-the-evidence-for-effectiveness-pdf.pdf

This is a really useful resource for people considering unconscious bias training in terms of finding out what works and what doesn't.  Turns out - online and face to face - are both equally effective in terms of raising awareness. But if you want to actually change behavior, you need to take a behavioral approach. There is more in the report than that, specifically related to levels of gender bias.

This is why I teach - a behavioral approach to harassment!