CIICPD 2023

However, first-hand impressions, as the data show, are often both negative and positive. An example of a false positive impression a candidate made at a job interview was described in the incident below. This incident, at the same time, indicates a strategy on how to avoid yielding to the halo effect: A university student, a technical designer, thus technically oriented, came for the interview. When he started talking about himself, his bio, what he has experienced, what he manages, what knowledge he has, he looked like I would hire him straight away. We gave him a short test that we have just for these cases, like an elementary or high school task, the Pythagoras theorem, to calculate the area of a rectangle and similar totally simple rubbish and he did not manage to calculate the area of the rectangle. So, we had to say goodbye to him, even though by appearance, by how he presented himself, he looked very promising. This situation is an example of a pragmatic approach to assessing people by their first encounters. At the same time, it represents a viable strategy generally applicable in wider contexts. By focusing on people skills and competencies rather than first appearances and self-presentation during job interviews, more objective decisions can be made not only in recruiting, but also can help in managing diversity as a whole. Competence based assessment is a suitable tool for personal development used in human resource management. Employing facts rather than feelings also helps to problem-solve more effectively. Managers capable of regulating their subjective judgements when constructing their teams are therefore key to the diversity of the company. 3.1.4 Stereotyping First encounters with potential employees or colleagues are not the only trap that can negatively influence the effective implementation of the DEI principles since other types of cognitive biases can deeply affect long-term relationships and cooperation across the organisational structure. Stereotyping, i.e. projecting group characteristics on individuals, is another example of biased behaviours typical of global companies where societal and professional cultures blend. At the same time, it is the main inhibition to inclusion in a diverse team. ŠA, as the data shows, is no exception. The training participants pointed out numerous interactions between cultures in their discussions, raising various types of stereotyping patterns that affect the dynamics of the company and its managerial practice. They mentioned encountering situations of prejudice within the company or their teams based on nationality, gender, age, as well as professional specialisation, working status, or even internally, across their organisational divisions. The most frequently mentioned prejudices were gender stereotypes. The predominantly male participants mainly referred to women being seen as less capable of “understanding issues” , less apt to “handle hard work” , or less capable of “managing their work from home” . One of the participants also pointed out a paradox when “women without a technical degree are less accepted by the team than men without a technical degree in the same meeting” . The managers, at the same time, shared their experience disapproving of these beliefs, while in terms of the hard work done by women remark, “the opposite turned out to be true” . Similar ideas were raised concerning the home office comments

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