Gender Task Force Event

Unconscious Bias Workshop

Speaker: Dr Jane Horan

Date: Friday, May 20, 2016

Time: 12:30-14:00

Venue: Room LG.62, Lower Ground Floor, Centennial Campus

The 90-minute Unconscious Bias session is a highly interactive one exploring multiple aspects of bias. The session is based on research and real-life examples from universities, NGO's and multinationals

in the Asia Pacific Region, and explores the impact of unconscious bias on decision making with an emphasis on people decisions.

With both discussions and visuals, participants build a greater understanding of bias, along with defining higher quality decisions in order to build inclusive environments. Awareness, and taking action to address bias is one way to build an engaged and innovative environment, aligned with HKU's goals, values and purpose. Throughout this presentation is an understanding of how demographics shape and impact the organization.

Topics covered:

Defining unconscious bias

Programmed response, similarity, confirmation and distance bias

Shifting Asia demographics, women, multi-generations, culture

Subtle Bias, language, communication and leadership

Originally from the US, Jane Horan has lived, worked and conducted research in the Asia Pacific Region, starting her career in Changsha, Hunan Province teaching English to graduate student engineers. In 1991, she moved to Hong Kong and worked from a family run organisation and a few iconic brands (Disney, GE, and Kraft) in Organisational Design and Leadership Development. In 2005, she returned to school to obtain a doctorate in Leadership Education exploring how Asian Women navigate organisations and leadership. Conducting this research, she uncovered and grappled with "unconscious bias." Currently she helps organisations, private and non-profit, with many aspects of Diversity and Inclusion.