Many organizations and businesses have as a goal increasing the diversity of their workforce and creating more welcoming and inclusive workplaces. Some of this focus is practical: the demographics of the United States are changing, and Iowa is no exception. For example, in 2001, 9.7% of Iowa K-12 students were in the category of “minority”; in 2021, that number was 26.1%. Some of the focus on equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace stems from a growing body of research that connects business/organizational productivity and performance to a diverse workforce.2 Having a more welcoming work environment is important because Iowa workers are becoming more diverse, and because a more diverse workforce is good for business.

So, what’s stopping workplaces from being more inclusive and welcoming? People used to think that the reason that workplaces weren’t more diverse was because of hiring and other workplace practices that were explicitly discriminatory. If that were the case, all we need to do is to get rid of the “bad” people being biased in hiring practices, and discrimination would magically disappear. We know better now. There aren’t usually “bad” people making overtly biased decisions; rather, we know that everyone—you, me, your co-worker, your neighbor—has biases of some kind or another, and those biases may affect many of our business practices. And, these biases are usually not conscious, that is, they are unconscious, or implicit biases. In order to encourage more diversity and inclusion in our working world and to create more equity in our organizations, we need to understand how our implicit biases may shape how we think and act.

Once we are aware of our biases what can we do about it? Research shows that we can reduce our biases, change our attitudes, and alter our behaviors, if we’re willing to make our implicit biases explicit, commit to having uncomfortable conversations, and consciously work on our interactions with others.

By the end of this session you should be able to answer these questions:

1. What is implicit bias?

2. How does implicit bias operate?

3. Why should I care about it?

Presenters:

Dr. Susan Hill is Professor of Religion and Head of the Department of Philosophy and World Religions at the University of Northern Iowa, and has spent her career teaching about social and cultural differences. She was the founding Director of UNI’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (2012-2019) and served as Director of the Undergraduate Program in Women’s Studies at UNI from 2002-2005. She has been a member of numerous committees focused on enhancing educational opportunities for LGBT, first generation, and minoritized students. She has also given over 30 presentations on homosexuality and the Bible in the Cedar Valley. She is a trained workshop leader for the National Coalition Building Institute, an international leadership organization that provides training in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and has participated in Cornell University’s Faculty Institute for Diversity, as well as UNI’s Provost’s Leadership Academy.

Dr. Brittany Flokstra is Instructor of Chemistry at the University of Northern Iowa. An advocate for women in STEM fields, she is also a trained workshop leader for the National Coalition Building Institute, an international leadership organization that provides training in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and has participated in UNI’s Provost’s Leadership Academy. Brittany is a founding board member for Cedar Valley Pridefest, where she helped plan and implement the first three annual events. She has also served as the academic advisor for UNI Proud, the student LGBTQ* group at UNI, and is currently the faculty advisor for Women in STEM, a student group for female students interested in the sciences.

May CVSHRM Chapter Meeting: Implicit Bias