Understanding and Managing Bias: Exercises

So, what is bias? You’ve heard about it your entire life, and probably now more than ever. It’s often painted in a negative light, with undertones of ‘privilege’ and ‘stereotypes’ that make you want to look away. Still, you wonder, what exactly is ‘bias’ and is it so bad after all? Let’s take a look…

According to the Dictionary, bias is an “inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair.” Bias can be innate or learned, and in the same way, can be unlearned. Most often, you’ll hear people talk about cognitive bias (with emotional and behavioral biases trailing not too far behind). As you would imagine, cognitive biases deal specifically with our cognition, or perceptions/judgments about certain things.

So, why is understanding cognitive biases important? You see, cognitive biases demonstrate an error in thinking when we process and interpret information in the world around us. They affect the decisions and judgments we make and more often than not, lead us to see the world with a very skewed (read: poor) perspective.

In the Understanding & Managing Bias toolkit, we explore bias, where it comes from, how we can recognize our own biases, and how we can begin our journey to unlearn. Understanding & Managing Bias was created in a collaboration between Sqr One, an Australian innovation consultancy specializing in life and career innovation, and verynice, a US-based design

strategy practice specializing in brand strategy, user experience design, and strategic foresight. The toolkit is designed as a “grab bag” of activities and insights, and is meant to be completed on your own, but you are welcome to share with a friend!

Materials required: Scratch paper, pen/pencil, a quiet place.

Time required: At your own pace. We recommend 60-90 minutes.