Should we scrap Unconscious Bias Training?

‘Boris Johnson’s government scraps Unconscious Bias training for civil servants.’ This was a newspaper headline in December 2020, a story that featured in many media outlets. So, should we scrap UB training? And if not, why not? What will you do, for staff development in 2021?

In December 2020, many newspapers and media outlets ran this story, including the BBC, Guardian, Telegraph, Independent and ITV. The government justified their decisions to scrap unconscious bias (UB) training on key research. Perhaps government decisions were also influenced by politics – dozens of conservative MPs had made clear their refusal to take part in unconscious bias training. The Tory MP, Ben Bradley, for example, said in an interview with The Independent that ‘we should be unabashed in our cultural conservatism’ and resist the imposition of values promoted by the Black Lives Matter movement and others'.

But before you make plans to cancel or postpone any UB training events for 2021, please know what the research shows and the reasons why EDI training events such as UB workshops are essential for your success.

First, UB training, by itself, is no silver bullet. 

UB training, or any other equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) training for that matter, is ineffective by itself. It might raise awareness but it will not, alone, tackle engrained prejudice and discrimination either at a personal, team or organisational level.  In other words, UB or any other form of EDI training, alone, will not change attitudes, behaviour or practice.

This is something that I have written about many times over the last few years. For example, in September 2020, in relation to #BlackLivesMatter, I made the point that training is only one part of a diversity road map that we need in place if we are to genuinely dismantle barriers, tackle persistent inequality and advance equality. To make our work and learning places truly inclusive, we need to look deeply at our culture and outcomes to understand what it’s really like for people with different protected characteristics to work and learn in our organisation. And then we need to use this information to develop clear action plans that are regularly monitored for impact. Training and CPD activities are only a part, albeit an important part, of these overall plans. In my September briefing, I went on to provide ten key areas that you could use to self-assess your own practice. If you missed this equality briefing, you can access it here

The research used by the goverment to justify their decision to scrap UB training, also showed that training, by itself, is ineffective in dealing with engrained prejudice and discrimation. However, many unions have criticised the government’s decision, saying that they have not addressed the key thrust of the research. In an interview with the Guardian, the academic whose research was used by the government questioned why government ministers have failed to implement plans and strategies to combat the prejudice that clearly exists in Whitehall. The research identified that UB training could be effective if organisations avoided relying on ‘training as a single ‘catch-all’ event’ and instead ‘provided training as an ongoing process’ …integrated into wider organisational initiatives’.

None of this should come as a surprise to the education sector. Ofsted has, for example, repeatedly reported that EDI training, when delivered as a ‘tick-box’ exercise, fails to deliver genuine or lasting impact. But simply cancelling UB or other EDI training events is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Instead, training must be part of a bigger plan to fully integrate and advance EDI across the organisation. The 2019 inspection framework has key practical implications for promoting a respectful an inclusive culture where prejudice is actively tackled and where the principles of equality and diversity are nurtured. So your EDI action plans are an essential part of your journey to outstanding and beyond – to be the ‘best of the best’.

Second, some ‘exercises’ to measure unconscious bias are dubious

There is much academic debate over the reliability and validity of exercises that attempt to ‘measure’ unconscious bias; for example the ‘implicit bias’ test. Personally, I don’t use these tests. I think it is much better if training helps staff to acknowledge that no matter how fair-minded and accepting we think we are, we all hold some degree of bias, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously. Having bias doesn’t make us ‘bad’ – it simply makes us human. But training must also give us the tools to do something about bias, which brings me to my third point.

Third, training should show us what we can do about unconscious bias

The research noted that unconscious bias training packages often simply raise awareness of what unconscious bias is and how it develops – they do not go on to explain how people can deal effectively with unconscious bias. The research identified that in these situations, the training frequently ‘left participants without the tools for behavoural change’. This, coupled with no formal follow up, often left employees at best, ‘floundering on what to do next’, and, at worst, exhibiting open ‘hostility’ to the diversity agenda.

In addition to raising awareness of what unconscious bias is and how it develops, training must include a third element – what we can do about bias. The good news is, in the words of Patricia Devine, a well-respected psychology professor, ‘if we can learn unconscious bias, we can unlearn it - we can break the thinking habit’. In addition to raising understanding and awareness, training must therefore provide the tools to equip staff to deal effectively with unconscious bias, both personally and at a team level.

So what should we do, moving forward, for 2021?

• Make sure your staff development plans for 2021 include training on unconscious bias, especially if this is something that has not happened recently. Actively tackling unconscious bias is essential to creating an inclusive ethos and culture; thinking beyond discrimination in its extreme forms to identify and tackle the subtle things that take place in an organisation on a daily basis.

• Make sure that staff training on unconscious bias raises understanding but also equips staff to know what they can do to deal effectively with unconscious bias – at a personal and at a team level.

• Make sure that staff training is not a ‘one off event’ but integrated within ongoing EDI training to continually raise awareness for all staff, including those that can often get ‘left out’ - business support staff and governors /trustees, for example.

• Make sure that staff training on unconscious bias (and EDI) is not a ‘tick box’ exercise but instead is a part of a robust plan to implement actions and to measure progress in dismantling barriers, tackling persistent inequality and in advancing equality.

• Remember that you have a legal duty to eliminate discrimination, advance equality and foster good relations, as part of the Public Sector Equality Duty. Training such as unconscious bias or other EDI events will help demonstrate that you are meeting your legal duties.

Interested in training?

My training sessions are designed to inspire, motivate, encourage and support and I have helped thousands of staff improve their practice. Many of my events can be delivered online, via Microsoft Teams. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss training requirements. I am always happy to provide a free consultation and / or free costed consultancy proposal in response to your brief. You can get in touch with me using the contact page of my website

http://www.christinerose.org/contact/

You can download information about two of my popular training events on unconscious bias below:

Actively tackling Unconscious Bias, Outstanding teaching and learning -download here.

Actively tackling Unconscious Bias, Improving the staff experience - download here.