BIAS - The Darkside of Smart

Confronted with millions of data inputs daily, and forced to make decisions to take action, we all rely on ‘mental shortcuts’ to aid our efficiency. 

Taking shortcuts based on our instincts and experience is just normal; and in the workplace this is often recognized as ‘being smart.’  For instance, “Go ask Grace -- she can cut through things quickly", or “Check with Paul – he has a good gut for people.” 

While speed is an advantage, it comes with the downside of narrower considerations and unseen options.  Speed increases the risk from blind spots.

And so it is with bias – we use our personal context and history of experiences to make judgments for moving forward, without noticing the presence or impact of our blindspots.

So, there is a natural relationship between the abilities we see as “workplace smart” and the mental processes we don’t see that drive unconscious bias. 

Makes me wonder:  maybe BIAS exists “Because I Am Smart” …