One of the reasons organizational training programs on implicit bias do not work is that long-standing perceptions, stereotypes, and ideas are deeply ingrained in people. Therefore, occasional training becomes a mere check-box practice that does little to address implicit bias behaviors. Hode (2021) suggests that organizations must engage in continuous/life-long training to mitigate the impacts of implicit bias that can potentially harm stakeholders.

One way of raising awareness of implicit bias regularly is by promoting self-reflection and creating an environment where bias is openly discussed/ challenged. An important aspect of implicit bias training is that people must be able to recognize bias to avoid it during social encounters. By encouraging self-reflection, people can weigh their actions, expressions, and behaviors to avoid hurting others. Self-reflection brings people to full cautiousness, creates a deeper sense of ethics, and promotes long-term behavioral change. In my organization, implicit bias is overly simple; it is integrated into annual training programs and is mostly based on inclusivity topics, thus less effective.

Some improvements the organization can make to support implicit bias training programs include promoting fairness and equality, actively addressing bias complaints, and continually raising implicit bias awareness among employees. Overall, employees must understand implicit bias and its impacts to manage their behaviors.How do your experiences differ as you explore implicit bias?

• How might you build on your ideas with those of others to mitigate implicit bias?