Unintentional Bias in Management Based on Perception

Students in the College of Business are taught to be effective managers, by challenging coursework. Yet part of being a strong leader is being aware of intentional or unintentional biases based on stereotypes. The goal of this project was to raise student awareness that negative perception of groups of individuals within an organization affects that group’s ability to succeed, and also impacts businesses negatively. By writing a business proposal to address a diversity, equity or inclusion issue at a business, students demonstrated that they understood the effects of negative unconscious perception. The proposal was intended to enlighten students and help them develop into more socially conscious managers. Therefore, this project accomplished three things: Made students aware of biases in business caused by (often unconscious) stereotypical perceptions of groups of people. Helped students become aware of biases they may have. Offered me and other faculty opportunities to learn from student feedback and use it in their classroom