BIG IDEAs: Using Randomised Controlled Trials to Reduce Bias in the Workplace

歧视和社会不平等继续在工作场所普遍存在。英国的性别薪酬差距网站，同工同酬日和全球#MeToo运动只是几个例子，突出了人们对工作中对妇女的根深蒂固的结构性不平等的日益认识。这些不平等的部分原因是对女性有意识和无意识的偏见-但不仅仅是女性遭受痛苦。工作场所对其他弱势群体的偏见很普遍，如少数民族和种族，社会经济背景较低的人和LGBTQ+社区。尽管人们越来越认识到这些问题，但企业仍在努力寻找解决方案，以创造公平的竞争环境。我们能做些什么来帮助减少工作中的不平等和歧视？通过在埃克塞特大学举办的UKRI未来领袖奖学金（FLF），我的目标是使用因果干预来减少工作场所的偏见，以帮助创造更多的工作平等。该项目利用经济学、心理学和管理学领域的最新见解来设计干预措施，这些干预措施将在多个英国组织的大规模随机对照试验（RCT）中进行测试。这些干预措施将使人们更好地了解我们如何在工作场所创造更多的公平，并通过埃克塞特大学面向公众的行为洞察中心：性别，包容性，多样性，平等和机会（“BIG IDEAS”）进行传播。性别偏见现在是一个公认的现象，许多组织试图通过“无意识偏见”培训来解决这个问题。然而，几乎没有证据表明这种培训有助于提高女性地位，如果有的话，它可能适得其反，给那些完成培训的人一种错误的印象，即他们被“治愈”了无意识的偏见（Dobbin & Kalev 2016; Atewologun et al. 2018）。事实上，问题要深得多：偏见往往在我们的思想中根深蒂固，并受到我们所生活的制度和社会环境的影响，甚至被放大（Thaler & Sunstein 2008）。有意识和无意识的偏见可能会对女性的职业发展产生负面影响（Bohnet 2016; Sheltzer & Smith 2014）。但这些偏见也延伸到其他弱势群体：来自种族或少数民族的工人也经常在工作场所面临歧视;社会经济背景较低的人也是如此（Bertrand & Mullainathan 2004; Stephens et al. 2019）。我的研究议程需要在工作场所的偏见的全面看法，研究和旨在减少对这些弱势群体的偏见。这个项目是第一个测试新的干预措施（可能的解决方案）通过多个，纵向随机对照试验组织内部。它超越了研究偏见和工作成果的相关性的调查研究;相反，我建议实际引入和因果测试干预措施，以减少偏见，在实地创造一个更平等的工作场所，观察实际的招聘，晋升，和弱势群体的保留结果。这种研究通过与组织的合作和共同创造而蓬勃发展。我的一些合作伙伴组织是英国最大的雇主之一，包括联合利华，它是解决性别不平等问题的先驱。其他人是初创企业和咨询公司，包括行为洞察团队，GapSquare和MoreThanNow，他们与希望克服对弱势群体偏见的有影响力的客户合作。总之，我的研究旨在测试在工作场所共同创建的干预措施，以减少对弱势群体的偏见，并为更平等的社会做出贡献。参考文献：Atewologun et al（2018），平等人权委员会。Bertrand & Mullainathan（2004），AER 94（4），991-1013. Bohnet（2016），What Works，HUP. Dobbin & Kalev（2016），HBR. Thaler & Sunstein（2008），Nudge，YUP. Sheltzer & Smith（2014），PNAS 111（28）10107-12. Stephens等人（2019），Curr Dir Psych Sci 28（1），67-73。

Discrimination and social inequalities continue to pervade the workplace. The UK's Gender Pay Gap website, Equal Pay Day and the global #MeToo movement are but a few examples that highlight the growing awareness of deeply-embedded structural inequalities against women at work. These inequalities come about in part because of conscious and unconscious biases held against women - but it isn't just women who suffer. Bias is rife in the workplace towards other disadvantaged groups such as ethnic and racial minorities, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and the LGBTQ+ community. Although recognition of these problems is growing, businesses struggle to find solutions to level the playing field. What can we do to help reduce inequality and discrimination at work? Through the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) hosted at the University of Exeter, my goal is to use causal interventions to reduce bias workplace to help create more equality at work. This project leverages the latest insights from across economics, psychology and management to design interventions that will be tested in large-scale randomised controlled trials (RCTs) within several UK organisations. These interventions will lead to a better working knowledge of how we create more fairness in the workplace, disseminated through the public-facing Centre for Behavioural Insights: Gender, Inclusivity, Diversity, Equality and Access ("BIG IDEAs") at the University of Exeter.Gender bias is now a well-recognised phenomenon and many organisations try to tackle this problem through "unconscious bias" training. However, there is little evidence that this training works towards the advancement of women and, if anything, it can backfire, giving those completing it the false impression that they are "cured" of unconscious bias (Dobbin & Kalev 2016; Atewologun et al. 2018). The problem in fact goes much deeper: bias is often deeply ingrained in our minds and affected, even amplified, by the institutions and social environment in which we live (Thaler & Sunstein 2008). A combination of conscious and unconscious bias have likely negatively affected the career developments of women (Bohnet 2016; Sheltzer & Smith 2014). But these biases extend also to other disadvantaged groups: workers from racial or ethnic minorities often face discrimination in the workplace, too; and so do individuals from a lower socioeconomic background (Bertrand & Mullainathan 2004; Stephens et al. 2019). My research agenda takes a comprehensive view of bias at the workplace, studying and aiming to reduce bias against these disadvantaged groups.This project is the first to test novel interventions (possible solutions) through multiple, longitudinal RCTs inside organisations. It goes beyond the study of surveys which have looked at correlations of bias and work outcomes; instead, I propose to actually introduce and causally test interventions to reduce bias to create a more equal workplace on the ground, observing the actual hiring, promotion, and retention outcomes of disadvantaged groups. This kind of research thrives through collaboration and co-creation with organisations. Some of my partner organisations are among the largest UK employers, including Unilever, a pioneer in addressing gender inequality. Others are start-ups and consultancies, including the Behavioural Insights Team, GapSquare and MoreThanNow, who work with influential clients who want to overcome bias against disadvantaged groups. In sum, my research aims to test co-created interventions in the workplace to reduce bias against disadvantaged groups and contribute to a more equal society.References: Atewologun et al (2018), Equality Human Rights Commission. Bertrand & Mullainathan (2004), AER 94(4), 991-1013. Bohnet (2016), What works, HUP. Dobbin & Kalev (2016), HBR. Thaler & Sunstein (2008), Nudge, YUP. Sheltzer & Smith (2014), PNAS 111(28) 10107-12. Stephens et al (2019), Curr Dir Psych Sci 28(1), 67-73.