A German electronics company reported a logistics function where the team was comprised of hires from the Indian sub-continent because the EVP was Indian. But even within primary cultures there can be sub-groups. This bias can be based on race, age, religion, schools attended, or any other distinguishing demographic feature. But in a professional sense it means we are restricting our hires or network contacts to PLU (People Like Us) or Mini-Mes based on affinity bias. Aren’t we repeatedly told that people do business with those they like and trust? So in a personal setting it can make sense, even if it might be a little limiting. Why would we choose to be around people who make us feel insecure, ill at ease and as if we are not in reliable and trustworthy hands? So if we all prefer working or having relationships with individuals who make us feel secure and feel we can trust, then the converse also applies. You will frequently hear the phrase “the chemistry wasn’t right” as a reason for debriefing candidates. The reality is we all have a preference to being around people we click with either on a personal or professional basis. Read: Top 5 videos that highlight and tackle unconscious bias He was confident about their rigorous academic backgrounds and knew he could count on them and trust them when needed. It was all about his perception of “fit.” They made him feel comfortable. Although Philippe seemed open to interviewing and considering candidates with more diverse backgrounds, in the end the more familiar and dependable candidates prevailed. All without exception had attended a “ Grandes Ecoles,” the French equivalent of a top Ivy League school. They were French, Belgian, Moroccan, and Québécois. Within 12 months the team had taken on a number of new hires all of whom were French-speaking, as either a first or second language. Philippe is a French investment banker who joined a London-based outfit in 2014. Affinity bias occurs when hiring managers show a marked preference for candidates to whom they can relate which can play an over arching role in many selection decisions. This is supposed to guarantee onboarding success, but it also means that no boats will be rocked. It’s a catchall term that covers a multitude of sins related to making sure that potential candidates will slide seamlessly into the prevailing corporate culture. “The right fit” is a phrase I hear repeatedly in the hiring process. Preference for certain types of people for whom they have an affinity, such as respondents who are similar to them or that they find attractive, and including them in the sample at higher rates than others. The underlying ego & lack of curiosity inherent to affinity bias is off-putting.Affinity bias and cultural fit plays safe and stifles diversity It betrays a callous unawareness to judge others – Good or bad – based on the superficial ways we perceive them as being “like” ourselves. – mean much more.Īnd that applies to the way we view each other, too. A person’s content – character, ethics, mindset, etc. As we’ve seen, demographics are not the end-all, Be-all. There are different, better ways to categorize ourselves than we currently employ or are accustomed to. Same for my grandmas, the white and the black one. Without the familial framework, my Papaw & I probably wouldn’t have even known each other. It’s all in how we alllook at each other. At 12, we sat down & had a chat about life that only a Papaw can give. At age 5, I had my hand inside a motor home air contiioner. It was built over time, through interaction, a give-and-take of selves. He already had mine, because he had been trustworthy, consistent, & dependable every moment I knew him. When I showed my Papaw I was handy, attentive, wanted to help, he trusted me. Who was I going to trust when nobody looked like me? I ask this being a biracial girl who grew up spending a lot of time around old, white men… who had a white family, a black family, and was the only little Jamocha latte one around. So, the question becomes: “Like” in which way? From where I’m standing, that appears to be because the adopted cultural thought of many of our identifying characteristics have become antagonistic (via public discourse, Media, so-called “leadership” of social groups, other so-called “authority”).Īffinity bias is rooted in a person’s trust for those they perceive as like them. Basically, things that “go together” have a better relationship because of their congruousness or agreeableness.ĭifferent, unagreeing, or otherwise-conflicting positions cause a lot of our interpersonal problems. The word Affinity has many meanings, all of which relate to the similitude or resemblance between things. “Affinity bias” is the psychological phenomenon where we have intuitive trust and fondness for people who appear to be like us.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |