Explanation and Causes of Bias in Management - Essay Example

Explanation and Causes of Bias in Management Bias in management occurs when the manager makes decisions likely to suggest that there is some influence leaning for the favor of his orientation. The apparent leaning could be in form of prejudice or in form of predilection. Prejudice in this context may be given the meaning of unpleasant opinion against a certain group of junior workers, deliberately or without knowledge which is evident by the course of business interactions. On the other hand, predilection can be said to be some mental preference or else mental partiality towards a certain group of junior workers. Both of these aspects of management bias send some signs of favorable predisposition on one group while the other group experiences unfairness, mistreatment and bitterness, which ultimately translate into poor performance. The reporting of these unfair treatments almost often goes futile with fear of being fired or increased discrimination. Management of human resource faces many challenges including management bias due to inherent human errors. Individual managers’ personality which is factor of several psychological development interactions is an issue almost beyond the junior worker’s control. This is therefore the reason why appropriate measures must be taken by the managers, to ensure that their management practices are favorable to all, regardless of their differences. Favoring one group of persons with respect to their different characteristics has been reported, indicating the extent to which these errors affect human resource management. Being a boss is one thing while exercising the best human resource management is yet another. Over several centuries, these errors have continually reduced productivity, at least until when the field of human resource management evolved to offer solutions (Wanq, 2010). Bias and unethical conduct are totally different things in management, since some aspects of its aspects are sub-conscious. The fact that management involves decision making on a high frequency than any other worker exposes managers to risks of being biased on several grounds. Causes of management bias could be weight, height, color, age, race or even ethnicity. Elimination of Bias Human resource management recognizes management bias as a conflict which must be resolved for performance enhancement. Conflict resolution means that the complete absence of the elements of conflicts may not be realized. It therefore necessitates the accommodation and utilization of the underlying forces of the conflict to a meaningful coexistence that enhances maximization of output (Roth, 1962). We can analyze the issue of bias as an internal conflict and find solutions to its management. For instance, if the manager finds a decision making process compromises professionalism in the eyes of the other workers, options should be availed that will appear impartial. An independent decision could be enhanced by creating a professional distance between the manager and the juniors. Work allocation to juniors will have to be on a completely impartial basis. Various departments’ specialization may be bias locations and effective measure will have to ensure that no favors or discrimination are experienced. Randomization of the job allocation plan will be enhanced, to ensure that the chance of landing to a pleasant location is evenly distributed, ceteris paribus. Open forums for naming and shaming anyone with discriminatory tendencies would go a long way in deterring possible biasness. The face of the forums should be as impartial as possible as well as all inclusive, to develop a sense of unity and involvement. Tolerance and professionalism must not be disjointed if the manager wants to deliver exceptionally well. Policies of discrimination intolerance develop from such platforms, which act as a guide in reducing cases of bias. Workers find a channel to exercise their grievances forwarding rights, without necessarily being rowdy. Delegation of duties to various workers representatives or professionally hired officers will reduce chances of suspicion on being biased. Psychologically, the workers require some conditioning, to allow compliance with the management decisions, since they could also be biased as far as their perceptions are concerned. Decision flow must appear to be as impartial as possible, involving the lower cadre employees in decision making and implementation. Where the manager assesses and finds that a certain task compromises his impartiality due to some preferences, he may decide to delegate the task so as to maintain professional impartiality. Since most other bias instances are subconsciously carried out, the manager should scrutinize his role in the decision and determine how biased he is (Jeffrey, 2007). Offering notices and explanations to employees on some unpopular decisions which appear to adversely affect some groups may offer solutions to their perceptions. Some employees may offer criticism on almost every decision made by the manager, creating some biased perception even if the manager acted appropriately. Explanations will quell any dissatisfaction arising from such decisions. Employee reward systems based on their performance can be introduced to facilitate and promote result oriented approach to work. Where an employee offers credit points to the manager for being professional, it acts as motivating force for every worker, including the manager to avoid distractions such as bias. The manager must be objective and open minded to allow scrutiny of the juniors be pronounced in terms of credit rewarding. Performance appraisal must be openly and professionally performed to ensure acceptance among the workers. Diversification of employee origin to accommodate inter-group participation for diversification in order to enjoy the beauty of diversity in production may create a favorable public image on the organization. The brand name created has an impact with regard to the type of human resource pool that the company exposes itself to. The best brains and talent will always look for favorable working environment, which is contradicted by management bias. Business growth is determined by their consumer level of identifying with business entity, which also depends on the image created by the company’s management. Encouraging team building and capacity building within the workforce will subdue former perceptions of mistreatment translated to be terminal. Internal relations between the seniors as well as the juniors determine the level of acceptance and tolerance that the workers have. Seminars, training as well as workshops can be facilitated to enhance the connectivity between the different workers from a varied background. Team spirit can counter any form of discrimination since failure is attributed to general team effort. Increased training on human resource management which continues to offer insightful solutions on how to cope with various challenges that the management of business faces. On-job training for managers for refresher management courses will go a long way in tackling management bias (Anderson, 2010). It is therefore important that the manager designs strategies to counteract possible impartiality and negative attitudes that consequently lower performance and profitability of the company. Bias must be approached as a conflict and not necessarily as misconduct, for proper accommodation and resolution. References Anderson M., (2010). “Encouraging Entrepreneurship”, Diverse Issues in Higher Learning, 27(15):8 Jeffrey G., (2007). “Management Bias a Fair Value Worry”, Bottom Line, 23(11):5 Roth J. A., (1962). “Management Bias in Social Study of Medical Treatment” Journal of Human Organization, 21(1):47-50 Wanq Q., (2010). “Immigration and Ethnic Entrepreneurship: A Comparative Study in the United States”, Growth and Change, 41(3):430 Read More