Me and The Many – Unconscious Bias at Workplace
Radhika Jain · 2021-05-26
This article reflects on ‘Me and the Many’, an online workshop conducted by First Drop Theatre with senior leaders to explore unconscious bias through Applied Theatre. It looks at the gap between recognising bias as a concept and recognising how it may influence one’s own decisions, assumptions and workplace behaviour.
The workshop used association, guided reflection, role-based situations and experiential exercises to help participants notice implicit patterns and consider how these can affect leadership, inclusion and decision-making. As the session progressed, participants moved from discussing bias as something that happens elsewhere to reflecting more personally on their own blind spots.
The article also highlights the value of diverse perspectives and psychologically safer spaces in which people can speak openly about difficult experiences. Its central argument is that awareness is only a first step: leaders also need to translate that awareness into visible, everyday behaviour that supports a more inclusive culture.