It is worrying when staff members do not acknowledge their own bias and it negatively affects their decision making. This is why I have made this post about identifying your bias and possibly to help you control your bias. Even though this isn't a problem merely on the TTT server its the only one I have experience of.
How do I know i'm biased?
We are all biased. Everything we have ever experienced is subjective and therefore every decision we will ever make is clouded by some form of bias.
People exhibit a tendency to believe they are less
biased than their peers. College students believe they are less biased than their classmates, airline
passengers believe they are less biased than other passengers,
and Americans believe they are less biased
than their fellow citizens.
Source
How does my bias affect my work?
As a staff member we are affected by multiple types of bias. When handling situations on the server, forums and within the staff meetings. I wish to bring couple key forms of bias that we should acknowledge when making decisions.
1. Affinity bias.Affinity bias refers to when you unconsciously prefer people who share qualities with you or someone you like. It occurs because your brain sees them as familiar and relatable, and we all want to be around people we can relate to.
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2. Conformity biasConformity bias happens when your views are swayed too much by those of other people. It occurs because we all seek acceptance from others – we want to hold opinions and views that our community accepts.
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3. Confirmation biasConfirmation bias refers to how people primarily search for bits of evidence that back up their opinions, rather than looking at the whole picture. It leads to selective observation, meaning you overlook other information and instead focus on things that fit your view. You may even reject new information that contradicts your initial evidence.
Source
These are examples of bias that affects you when: punishing users & voting in meetings (especially in LT where there is no anonymity.) I believe these examples are the ones that affect your work the most and the ones you should pay most attention to, but if you happen to be interested
here is a list of unconscious biases you may have towards others.
How can I combat my bias?
Here I have gathered some methods you can use to counter your bias.
Be honest with yourself. It’s okay to have biases – we all do. It doesn’t make you any less of a person. What’s important is that you control them and actively look for ways to expand and revise your views. Be open to change.
Discuss with peers This is extremely easy especially in the meetings. When you are in doubt you can discuss with other staff members about the issues you have with the candidate and why you think they are great. This also means you should give feedback when others do as well instead of yelling over others.
Take your time during decision-making processes. Making the right pick is more important than making a fast pick to save time, so you should avoid snap judgments or opinions. Instead, make sure you fully assess each candidate’s capabilities and keep an open mind. This is especially towards LT members and whoever hosts the meetings. Everyone should be given enough time to make a decision with care.
Johnler and (some other LT members) also believes bias is an issue within the staff team and suggests you read this post