Utah has moved away from its founding principles of inclusion and respect.

I help Utahns overcome unconscious bias to become better leaders, students, colleagues, and parents. Why would the Utah Legislature try to block it?

As a professor who has been reading and studying the literature on unconscious/implicit bias for over 12 years, imagine my confusion and dismay when the Utah State Legislature passed a resolution banning training on this topic in higher education settings. (See HB261).

I’ve facilitated well over 100 workshops and I can’t remember anyone walking away offended. These engaging sessions are not intended to shame people, but to help participants become less critical and more self-aware. In fact, delving deeper into my own biases has helped me become a better employee, community member, and mother and grandmother. As a Christian, understanding my own biases has helped me become more Christ-like. For everyone, understanding your own unconscious biases can help you become a better person.

Nearly 2,000 studies have now been conducted on unconscious bias, and the results are conclusive. We all have unconscious biases, and most of our thoughts and actions are in the “unconscious” realm.

So why wouldn’t we want to better understand our biases? We make decisions all day every day that we don’t even realize we have. That’s because it’s automatic and based on emotion rather than reason. Even just driving a car for 10 to 15 minutes, we make hundreds, perhaps thousands, of decisions, most of which we don’t remember. They are just part of what we do and who we are. These decisions are based on our upbringing, life experiences, filters, and habits, and we are all very different. The more we understand about ourselves and how our brains work, including our biases, the better decisions we can make in life. In doing so, we become more understanding and kind. This is the original purpose of implicit bias training.

There’s nothing scary about properly designed unconscious bias training. In fact, I have conducted numerous three-hour workshops for departments at Brigham Young University, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nonprofits, community organizations, businesses, and church groups in Utah and other states and countries. Ta. There is no shame or condemnation. People continue to thank me for helping me become a better person.

However, I acknowledge that not all unconscious bias training is created equal. In fact, tons of research I’ve read over the years shows that only ~20% of the training provided helps people become less judgmental and more aware of their own biases. It could be 25%. However, academics and knowledgeable practitioners agree with a Harvard Business Review article published several years ago entitled “Don’t give up on unconscious bias training, let’s make it better.” I am.

Workshops on unconscious bias not only focus on things like race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age (although they are very important), but also on other judgments we make and how they affect us. It also helps you recognize how it influences your decisions. We judge all day every day.

Whether it’s hearing that a co-worker is a Utah vs. Brigham Young University football fan, or noticing someone drinking hot chocolate when they’re drinking coffee, or noticing that a woman wears panties against Latter-day Saints. Don’t say we don’t judge if we notice. Sunday services, or when your neighbors don’t mow their lawns regularly.

When I taught an inclusive leadership class in the Executive MBA program at Utah State University, we included a three-hour unconscious bias workshop on the first evening of each semester. When we asked students at the end of the course what the most important content they had received was the implicit bias content that many cited. In fact, most of my students told me that they became better parents because of what they learned.

So we ask the Utah Legislature. Are you really going to ban my unconscious bias training on campuses and government agencies?

Utah’s leaders constantly boast that Utah is a great place to live, but let’s be clear: Utah is a great place for some people, but… That’s not for everyone. Unfortunately, recent legislation is not based on the latest research, but rather on fear, opinion, and a desire to maintain the status quo.

When Brigham Young arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, and looked out over the Valley, he envisioned Utah as a place of refuge, inclusion, learning, and respect. Masu. I slipped. We must ensure that public policy is consistent with the principles on which Utah was founded. Banning unconscious bias training is not the answer. We must do more in Utah to uplift everyone, not just those who have already benefited for decades.

Susan R. MadsenEd.D., is the inaugural Karen Hite Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership and Director. Utah Women and Leadership ProjectUtah State University Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.

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