Available Today, Thinking at the Speed of Bias, Shares Skills to Address the Unconscious Bias from Culture Competence Visionary

By PR Newswire On Jul 9, 2024

Launched today, Thinking at the Speed of Bias: How to Shift Our Unconscious Filters (Berrett-Koehler) by Sara Taylor, a diversity and inclusion strategist, who is renowned for her visionary work in culture competence, a nationally recognized speaker, and a best-selling author, helps individuals tackle their unconscious bias and empowers organizations to scale cultural competence to transform their structural and systematic landscapes to become more effective and equitable.

Even with our best intentions, most of us hold unconscious beliefs and misperceptions, which come from our Filters, which operate in our unconscious mind and determine how we see ourselves and others.

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In her book, Taylor explains the concept of Filters, which operate in the unconscious mind, dictating one’s thoughts, behaviors, and decisions. These Filters draw on an individual’s warehouse of past experiences and absorb information without conscious awareness. They explain, evaluate, and categorize information based on past experiences and then transmit it to the conscious mind in the form of thoughts, decisions, perceptions, and actions. Then, as individuals learn to Filter Shift, they can SEE Self through the Active Conscious process, SEE Others to assume differences in other people without judgment, and SEE an effective approach to shift their behaviors to be more effective and equitable.

Thinking at the Speed of Bias introduces Taylor’s six-stage cultural competence model, drawing on what she has witnessed repeatedly, that progressively reflects individuals’ developing ability to interact effectively across differences, beginning with the lesser-effective stages. The book provides valuable insights, tools, and strategies for advancing through the stages.

“Even with our best intentions, most of us hold unconscious beliefs and misperceptions, which come from our Filters, which operate in our unconscious mind and determine how we see ourselves and others,” said Taylor. “In Thinking at the Speed of Bias, I explain the concept of Filter Shift, which moves us from unknowing to knowing and from ineffective to effective. Readers will also learn how to process through the cultural competence stages necessary for personal growth. At the organizational level, many businesses operate with an equality-based culture that adopts a one-size-fits-all approach, oblivious to the Filters at play. By nurturing individual development and addressing the bias inherent in individual Filters, organizations can realize more equitable environments.”

This groundbreaking book is a must-read for those eager to understand, discuss, and implement change both at home and in the workplace. It offers a clear set of competencies, skills, and strategies for addressing unconscious bias. It also includes real-life examples of individuals who have slowed down their thought processes and become aware of their Filters in various situations.

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