Reacting to recent racial unrest generated by concerns about systemic racism, many companies have rushed to offer unconscious-bias awareness training to their employees. These companies all have good intentions of improving diversity and inclusion by eliminating unconscious bias in their workplaces. However, as good as those intentions are, studies show we can’t train biases out of anyone.

Moreover, hundreds of studies dating back to the 1930s suggest anti-bias training by itself does not reduce bias, alter behavior, or change the workplace.

LEADERSHIP COMMITMENT CRUCIAL

Research shows that trying to avoid implicit stereotyping through unconscious- bias training alone makes people ...