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  • March 2021 (Revised September 2021)
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Applied: Using Behavioral Science to Debias Hiring

By: Ashley Whillans and Jeff Polzer
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
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Abstract

The UK government’s Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) needed to hire a new associate and were trying to increase the diversity of their job candidates. This decision was based on academic research showing that recruiters and managers often fell into common traps like “stereotype” and “affinity” bias, where they hired people who looked the part or who were similar in appearance or background as themselves.
To overcome these biases, the team had spent hours using a permanent marker to redact the names and educational information from each candidate’s CVs, one-by-one. This painstaking process inspired Kate Glazebrook to develop Applied—a technological solution to debias hiring. Applied was a recruitment and hiring platform that used technology to eliminate biased language in job ads and used task-based assessments to reduce favoritism, among other features. Years after founding the company, Glazebrook considered asking her clients to remove CVs altogether. Could Glazebrook convince her new and existing customers to use the platform, even after taking away CVs?

Keywords

Hiring; Bias; Behavioral Science; Selection and Staffing; Diversity; Prejudice and Bias; Information Technology; Recruitment

Citation

Whillans, Ashley, and Jeff Polzer. "Applied: Using Behavioral Science to Debias Hiring." Harvard Business School Case 921-046, March 2021. (Revised September 2021.) (https://www.beapplied.com/.)
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About The Authors

Ashley V. Whillans

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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Jeffrey T. Polzer

Organizational Behavior
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Related Work

    • March 2021
    • Faculty Research

    Applied: Using Behavioral Science to Debias Hiring (B)

    By: Ashley Whillans and Jeff Polzer
    • March 2021 (Revised September 2021)
    • Faculty Research

    Applied: Using Behavioral Science to Debias Hiring

    By: Ashley Whillans and Jeff Polzer
Related Work
  • Applied: Using Behavioral Science to Debias Hiring (B) By: Ashley Whillans and Jeff Polzer
  • Applied: Using Behavioral Science to Debias Hiring By: Ashley Whillans and Jeff Polzer
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