Using Algorithms to Understand the Biases in Your Organization

Algorithms have taken a lot of heat recently for producing biased decisions. Should we be outraged by bias reflected in algorithmic output? Yes. But the way organizations respond to their algorithms determines whether they make strides in debiasing their decisions or further perpetuate their biased decision-making. Organizations should use algorithms for the magnifying glasses they are: algorithms can aggregate individual data points with the purpose of unearthing patterns that people have difficult detecting. When algorithms surface biases, companies should seize this “failure” as an opportunity to learn when and how bias occurs. This way, they’re better equipped to debias their current practices and improve their overall decision-making.