Episode 7: Be Curious, Not Judgmental: Recognizing and Avoiding Affinity Bias

"Thinking is difficult. That's why most people judge." Carl JungThis idea of judgment and laziness rather than deliberation and thoughtfulness very often is the foundation of implicit bias. We stereotype and generalize as a way to protect ourselves from and against those things with which we are not familiar. It's safe. It's easy. It's a sure fire way to guarantee homogeneity and a lack of inclusion.One of the most common and insidious forms workplace-infecting implicit bias is affinity bias - the tendency to connect with people with whom you share interests or experiences. The failure to recognize and/or to take steps against affinity bias can have massive and negative ramifications, including everything from hiring to workplace culture to retention to an unwillingness or over-willingness to provide meaningful performance management. Please listen. Please comment. Please share. Please keep more ideas coming!And, thanks for taking the time! Duane Morris LLP Duane Morris Institute______________________________________________________Michael S. Cohen is a partner in Duane Morris’ Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group. He concentrates his practice in the areas of employment law training and counseling. Michael is a nationally-recognized thought leader on workplace culture and human resources issues. He has trained and counseled employers throughout the country and regularly conducts more than 200 trainings each year.Michael Cohen (215) [email protected]://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelscohen12https://www.duanemorris.com/attorneys/michaelscohen.htmlPronouns: he/him