Bias in a Team Setting

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== Abstract ==
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Bias in a team setting mainly casts light on the fact that members of a project team can have conscious or unconscious bias towards other team members and colleagues. It is therefore under the scope of project management.
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This wiki page will first go through what bias is and the types of bias you could meet when working in a project team – both as a team member and project manager. Afterwards the article will go into how you as a project manager can mitigate and control some of these biases as the facilitator of the group.
  
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Since bias is a very personal and psychological thing it can be difficult to foresee what you will meet and have to deal with as the project manager, but there are certain biases that have been identified to be the most common ones, which will be presented in this article.
  
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The human is raised with bias from society in different forms and being 100% unbiased is not a realistic goal. Most biases are unconsciously present and the first step in mitigating bias is therefore to make yourself aware of potential bias underneath the surface and make it conscious.
  
== Abstract ==
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This article will investigate that bias is not only a thing between team members in a project. It can also present in the project manager as early as when they are putting the team together before project start. It can present itself in all phases of a project and you should always be aware of your surrounding colleagues. Both as a project manager and team member.  
The Hawthorne experiments were executed in the 1920s and early 1930s and understanding the effect of the experiment creates an effective management style (CanadaTeam, 2020). The goal of the experiment was to examine the effect of light on workers' productivity at a telephone parts factory in Hawthorne. The result of the experiment was that the worker's productivity increased when the light improved but also when the light was diminished. The productivity actually increased whatever they changed. The conclusion of the experiment was that when they were being observed and engaged in the experiment they performed better <ref name="The Hawthorne effect">Kenton, W. (2020) [https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hawthorne-effect.asp The Hawthorne effect]. Retrieved 4 February 2021.</ref>.
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An important takeaway from the study is that it needs to be taken into consideration when doing projects and research. The participants’ behavior will differ from what they usually do. The big question is; how can managers use this into motivating their employees? Maximization of employee productivity is key for a well-executed project and its success <ref name="The Hawthorne effect">Kenton, W. (2020) [https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hawthorne-effect.asp The Hawthorne effect]. Retrieved 4 February 2021.</ref>.  Another output of the study was that people chosen for the experiment felt pride in being “the chosen one” and also performed. This is an interesting addition to the project managers' tricks, as they can use this by both including people in the process and ask how they want to reach a successful outcome but also rewarding people with tasks and important roles to keep them motivated. <ref name="The Hawthorne Effect - Introduction to business">J. Gitman, Lawrence & McDaniel, Carl & Shah, Amit & Reece, Monique & Koffel, Linda & Talsma, Bethann & C. Hyatt, James (2018). [https://opentextbc.ca/businessopenstax/chapter/the-hawthorne-studies/ The Hawthorne Effect - Introduction to business ]. Retrieved 8 February 2021.</ref>. It actually makes sense with later studies showing that humans like to feel important and seen. They don’t want to feel worthless.  
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This article will examine why these people performed better and how this might origin in humans' nature to frame themselves into higher beings compared to their peers. Furthermore, how can a project manager actually use this to their advantage, and what about people's individuality – won't that play a part in motivating employees? <ref name="The Hawthorne Effect - Introduction to business">J. Gitman, Lawrence & McDaniel, Carl & Shah, Amit & Reece, Monique & Koffel, Linda & Talsma, Bethann & C. Hyatt, James (2018). [https://opentextbc.ca/businessopenstax/chapter/the-hawthorne-studies/ The Hawthorne Effect - Introduction to business ]. Retrieved 8 February 2021.</ref>.
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The article will end with the limitations that may present when trying to become conscious of bias and working to mitigate it.  
  
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== The Big Idea ==
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=== What is Bias? ===
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The general idea of the concept of bias
  
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=== The types of Bias in a Team ===
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The most common types of bias you can run into
  
=== The origin of motivation ===
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== Application ==
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=== How to Mitigate the Bias as a Project Manager ===
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When you have become aware of bias, how do as a project manager work against these biases
  
=== Advantages for the project manager  ===
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=== How to Mitigate the Bias as a Team Member ===
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When you have become aware of bias, how do as a team member work against these biases
  
=== Disadvantages for the project manager ===
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== Limitations ==
  
 
== References ==
 
== References ==
 
<References/>
 
<References/>

Revision as of 15:11, 10 February 2021

Contents

Abstract

Bias in a team setting mainly casts light on the fact that members of a project team can have conscious or unconscious bias towards other team members and colleagues. It is therefore under the scope of project management. This wiki page will first go through what bias is and the types of bias you could meet when working in a project team – both as a team member and project manager. Afterwards the article will go into how you as a project manager can mitigate and control some of these biases as the facilitator of the group.

Since bias is a very personal and psychological thing it can be difficult to foresee what you will meet and have to deal with as the project manager, but there are certain biases that have been identified to be the most common ones, which will be presented in this article.

The human is raised with bias from society in different forms and being 100% unbiased is not a realistic goal. Most biases are unconsciously present and the first step in mitigating bias is therefore to make yourself aware of potential bias underneath the surface and make it conscious.

This article will investigate that bias is not only a thing between team members in a project. It can also present in the project manager as early as when they are putting the team together before project start. It can present itself in all phases of a project and you should always be aware of your surrounding colleagues. Both as a project manager and team member.

The article will end with the limitations that may present when trying to become conscious of bias and working to mitigate it.

The Big Idea

What is Bias?

The general idea of the concept of bias

The types of Bias in a Team

The most common types of bias you can run into

Application

How to Mitigate the Bias as a Project Manager

When you have become aware of bias, how do as a project manager work against these biases

How to Mitigate the Bias as a Team Member

When you have become aware of bias, how do as a team member work against these biases

Limitations

References

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