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  • July–August 2013
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review

The Costs of Racial 'Color Blindness'

By: Michael I. Norton and Evan P. Apfelbaum
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:1
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Abstract

The article looks at research on people's attitudes and behaviors with respect to noticing and referring to a person's race. It explains the 2013 study, in which participants played a "Guess Who?" style game of asking yes-or-no questions about a group of faces pictured, half white and half African-American. The authors suggest that people's discomfort and avoidance of referring to race imposes costs in terms of information gathering and effective workplace diversity programs.

Keywords

Prejudice and Bias; Behavior; Race; Attitudes

Citation

Norton, Michael I., and Evan P. Apfelbaum. "The Costs of Racial 'Color Blindness'." Harvard Business Review 91, nos. 7/8 (July–August 2013): 22.

About The Author

Michael I. Norton

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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