"Affinity Bias can shape who we hire, promote, and even listen to at work — often without us realising. Who’s in your professional inner circle, and why
Affinity bias is one of many unconscious biases — it uses automatic, mental shortcuts to help our brains simplify decision-making. These biases happen without our awareness, often shaped by societal norms, personal experiences, and internalised stereotypes.
While this may seem harmless, the cumulative impact of affinity bias can lead to homogenous teams, a lack of diversity in leadership, and missed opportunities for innovation.
Why Does Affinity Bias Matter?
Affinity bias influences our judgement in ways that disadvantage others and limit inclusive practices. It can have the following implications these are just small examples and the list is not extensive:
1. Recruitment and Hiring
A hiring manager/recruiter may unconsciously favour a candidate who shares a similar background — perhaps they attended the same school or grew up in the same town. As a result, equally or more qualified candidates from different backgrounds may be overlooked.
2. Team Building
Managers might assign opportunities or projects to individuals they feel more comfortable with. This can result in some team members repeatedly being given high-profile tasks, while others are left out. This can build resentment and be destructive.
3. Performance Reviews
Feedback can be skewed by affinity. An employee who shares similar values or interests might be described as a "strong cultural fit", while others might be perceived as "not quite fitting in", even if their performance is comparable. Once again this can fuel resentment.
4. Leadership Development
Affinity bias can perpetuate the status quo in leadership. Leaders may mentor or sponsor individuals who remind them of their younger selves, leaving others without similar guidance or visibility.
Real-World Examples of Affinity Bias
Example 1: The CV Shortlist
A recruiter reviewing CVs notices one from someone who also studied at their school or University. Without realising it, they spend more time reading that CV and unconsciously view the candidate more favourably. Other candidates with different backgrounds receive less attention, despite similar or stronger qualifications. This could easily result in the best candidate being ignored.
Example 2: Meeting Dynamics
During a team meeting, the manager often directs questions and feedback toward two team members who share similar hobbies and regularly socialise outside of work. Other members notice and begin to feel marginalised, affecting morale and productivity.
Example 3:The Social Club
A manager frequently invites certain team members to informal gatherings because they share common interests, like golf or music. Over time, these informal interactions build trust and rapport, leading to more responsibilities and opportunities for those involved. Those left out feel discriminated against.
Recognising Your Own Affinity Bias
We all have Unconscious Bias and recognising it doesn’t make you a bad person — it makes you human. The key is to be aware of your tendencies so you can make more conscious decisions and control your bias – however, you will never eradicate it.
Here are some practical exercises to help you spot and reflect on Affinity Bias in your own thinking.
Exercise 1:The Inner Circle Audit
Instructions:
Reflection: If your list is full of people who are quite similar to you, consider whether Affinity Bias might be playing a role in who you turn to for ideas, collaboration, or mentorship.
Exercise 2: Reverse the Situation
Next time you make a judgement about someone —whether in recruiting, meetings, or day-to-day interactions—pause and ask:
This self-check encourages you to challenge your initial impressions.
Exercise 3: Bias in Feedback
Think about the last performance review or feedback session you conducted (or received). Reflect on:
Affinity Bias often shows up in how we perceive professionalism, communication style, or "cultural fit"—terms that can mask subjective preferences.
Strategies to Reduce Affinity Bias
Completely eliminating unconscious bias is impossible, but we can take deliberate steps to minimise its influence.
1. Structured Decision-Making
In recruitment or evaluation, use a clear set of criteria agreed upon in advance. Score candidates against this checklist rather than relying on gut feelings or personal rapport. Have the candidate scored by several people, each with different characteristics.
2. Diverse Panels
Involve diverse perspectives in hiring, reviewing, and promoting. A mix of people reduces the chances that one individual’s bias will dominate decision-making. For interviews consider having three people on the panel – each with different characteristics.
3. Inclusive Networking
Consciously broaden your circle. Try to engage with colleagues who are different from you — whether that’s in age, background, or personality. Over time, this helps break down assumptions and control stereotyping.
4. Bias Training
Engage in ongoing education about unconscious bias. Reflective workshops and facilitated discussions can help teams identify and address bias in a constructive way. Prospero Mediation and Training offer such courses which are all CPD Accredited.
From Awareness to Action
Recognising Affinity Bias is just the beginning. The next step is to build habits and systems that help counteract it. Whether you're in HR, leadership, or part of a team, we all play a role in shaping fair and inclusive environments.
A few questions to take with you:
Change starts with awareness — but it sticks through action.
