We all want to feel accepted in the workplace, and it’s only natural for people to try and weave into circles in which they will gain a sense of ‘belonging’. Conformity, to different extents, is basic human nature. However, as a manifestation of unconscious bias, this can hinder our ability to make fair and impartial decisions. Therefore, if undetected or unaddressed amongst leaders, it can narrow our vision and limit company growth.
What is conformity bias?
Conformity bias is when our deep-seated need to belong causes us to adapt our behaviours to feel like part of the group. Rather than using personal and ethical judgment, people imitate the behaviour of others in a bid to toe the party line. This type of behaviour may be unintentional but can have a powerful impact on our ability to make unbiased decisions.
Psychologist Soloman Asch famously investigated how the social pressures of others could cause someone to conform. Over twelve critical trials, a staggering 75% of participants conformed at least once. Participants stated they weren’t certain of their conformed answer but stuck with it for fear of being judged by their peers.
Conformity bias in the workplace
There are times when conformity may help you get ahead professionally, such as adhering to a certain code of conduct or embodying a particular set of values. But when team members and candidates conform to what they feel is expected, rather than what they believe is right, it restricts creativity and innovation. In other words, how can businesses grow and improve if no one is willing to rock the boat?
Companies that allow employees to be their authentic selves and freely express their opinion often benefit from a well-rounded range of perspectives and insights. This acceptance and acknowledgement of varying opinions can drive employee engagement, harvest creativity, and boost customer satisfaction—a win-win for any company.
How does conformity bias affect recruitment?
Conformity bias is one of the major hidden slip-ups when it comes to recruitment.
Take interviews for instance. Once a candidate has left, a panel of interviewers will likely group together to share their immediate thoughts and impressions. People rarely want to be the ones with a dissenting opinion - either they don’t want to cause a fuss or they second-guess themselves upon realising that they’re in the minority. When recruiters lean towards the consensus, the candidate is no longer fairly assessed. This creates the risk of hiring the wrong candidate for the job.
Individuals who share an interviewing panel can be easily swayed by others through the desire to conform. It creeps into the interview room as recruiters follow the lead of the ‘strongest’ panel member, who may be the most opinionated, respected, or senior member. Candidates face an unfair evaluation of their abilities as their assessors opt for the majority vote, resulting in an imbalanced decision.
Using score-based assessments to avoid conformity bias
Businesses need to make hiring decisions based on an objective understanding of skills and abilities, rather than the overriding temptation to follow the crowd. This can be achieved by creating a simple numerical scale (from 1 - 5, for instance) for each interview question. By rating each person’s proficiency in an essential or desired skill, interviewers can create a process that is as objective and free of bias as possible.
Essentially, no one can argue with clear-cut figures that show who is best for the job. This creates an inarguable consensus, free of any external influences. It should be noted, however, that for this system to work there cannot be any discussions or conferring before each interviewer decides on their final scores.
We rarely make decisions in a vacuum, and hiring is no exception. However, we must acknowledge how we can be psychologically swayed to prefer one candidate over another. By keeping things fair and objective, leaders stand the best possible chance of hiring the right person for the job - an outcome that everyone can agree on.
Applied is the essential platform for fairer hiring. Purpose-built to make hiring ethical and predictive, our hiring platform offers uses anonymised applications and skills-based assessments within the applicant tracking and applicant screening process to improve diversity and identify the best talent.
Start transforming your hiring now: book in a demo or browse our ready-to-use, science-backed talent assessments.
FAQs
Conformity Bias
What is a conformity bias? ›
Conformity bias is the tendency to change one's beliefs or behavior to fit in with others. Instead of using their own judgment, individuals often take cues from the group they are with, belong to, or seek to belong to about what is right or appropriate.
How does bias affect recruitment? ›
Evaluation of qualifications: Biases can cause recruiters to overvalue or undervalue a candidate's qualifications or experience based on factors such as the prestige of their educational institution or the assumption that candidates from certain backgrounds possess specific skills or traits.
How does name bias affect recruitment? ›
In recruitment, a candidate's name affects the hiring decision through either conscious or unconscious bias motives. Taking into account a candidate's name as a reason not to hire is a prejudiced action. Shocking levels of name discrimination occur against job applicants from ethnic minority backgrounds.
How does confirmation bias affect employment interviews? ›
Confirmation bias happens when we have an initial perception about a candidate, and then we look for and focus on information that supports that initial belief. This includes asking irrelevant, non-essential interview questions that confirm our beliefs, and overlooking red flags that contradict that belief.
What is an example of conformity bias in the workplace? ›
For example, imagine a new hire admires a senior manager, and that manager always works through lunch and eats at their desk. The new hire might start doing that too, instead of eating out and taking a break from work, even if taking a lunch break is the norm for most other people at the company.
How does conformity affect the workplace? ›
Conformity in the workplace can be dangerous because it can lead to groupthink, where individuals prioritize group harmony over critical thinking and independent decision-making. This can result in a lack of innovation, creativity, and productivity, and can stifle individual contributions and perspectives.
How does bias affect employees? ›
Bias can also lead to lowered productivity due to decreased motivation, increased stress, and feelings of exclusion. Employees may feel less engaged with their work and less likely to contribute their full potential if they feel their contributions are undervalued or overlooked.
How can bias affect an interview? ›
Interviewer bias is where the expectations or opinions of the interviewer interferes with the judgment of the interviewee. This can either affect the outcome positively or negatively and that these preconceptions can both consciously and unconsciously influence judgment.
What is selection bias in recruitment? ›
Candidate selection bias occurs when recruiters and hiring managers make decisions based on irrelevant factors, leading to the favoring of certain candidates over others, often unintentionally.
Establishing a panel that includes a diverse set of colleagues (in terms of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background and age) can ensure any personal unconscious biases are mitigated and help you to consider an applicant from a wider perspective and make a more informed decision.
How do you report bias in the hiring process? ›
After the HR department, the next step is to approach the EEOC, which has a mandate to investigate all complaints of employment-related bias. You could also contact a state or local Fair Employment Practices Agency.
What is bias hiring people that look like you? ›
Studies have shown that similarity is one of the most significant factors influencing the attraction to candidates during assessment and leads hiring managers to be inclined to “hire in their own image”. Unfortunately, this bias can perpetuate hom*ogenous organizations of employees that look, sound, and act alike.
How to avoid conformity bias? ›
Some strategies to avoid conformity bias are accepting that everyone has unconscious biases and allowing everyone to share their opinions. People should also remain open-minded and flexible rather than agreeing to the opinions of others without rationally thinking.
How does confirmation bias affect the workplace? ›
Similarly, confirmation bias can lead to groupthink, where a team or company only considers information that confirms their existing beliefs. This can result in poor decision-making and a lack of creativity. It can also lead to reduced productivity as team members become resistant to new ideas.
What are examples of confirmation bias? ›
For example, someone using yes/no questions to find a number they suspect to be the number 3 might ask, "Is it an odd number?" People prefer this type of question, called a "positive test", even when a negative test such as "Is it an even number?" would yield exactly the same information.
What is a confirmation bias example? ›
For example, someone using yes/no questions to find a number they suspect to be the number 3 might ask, "Is it an odd number?" People prefer this type of question, called a "positive test", even when a negative test such as "Is it an even number?" would yield exactly the same information.
What is conformity examples? ›
For instance, people pay fines after violating rules and regulations. Another is driving on the left side of the road, which people follow even though they may not understand the relevance. Fashion is another primary form of conformity and has been for eons.
What are three 3 types of conformity? ›
Norms are implicit rules shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with others and among society or social group. Herbert Kelman identified three major types of conformity: compliance, identification, and internalization.
What best defines conformity? ›
conformity, the process whereby people change their beliefs, attitudes, actions, or perceptions to more closely match those held by groups to which they belong or want to belong or by groups whose approval they desire.
