DEI: Get a Clue! Board Game

Purpose:

The DEI: Get a Clue! Gameboard was created to highlight unconscious bias during the recruitment and hiring process through open conversation and teamwork, which helps form real connections to the sensitive topic it teaches. It is task-centered and designed using Merrill's First Principles of Instruction (FPI). Although it's intended as a break-out session of a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) workshop to help recruiters and hiring managers recognize unconscious bias, it can also serve as a standalone training. It hosts four-six players and up to twelve with the expansion pack. Through peer observation and learner-to-learner interaction, players delineate the effects of unconscious bias on hiring companies and applicant while completing the four phases of play, Activation, Demonstration, Application, and Integration.

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Activation

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Because unconscious bias is a heavy topic, activation begins with a conversation prompted by the Activation Assessment questions. During the discussion, players outline their typical hiring and recruitment practices and learn about the game materials, including everyday items such as resumes, additional candidate information (Candidate cards), and Character Pieces with usual hiring professional job titles. Learners select game materials and characters based on the roles they want to play during the game. Two Interviewers take turns acting as the Interviewer and Interviewee. Two Recruiters assist players in selecting the best candidate to match their company profiles. The Hiring Manager provides an example of biased hiring for observation. Finally, the Human Resource Manager plays the role of mediator, prompting their peers into conscious awareness. Each function represents areas of the hiring and recruitment process to put players in touch with their average job duties, thus aiding in activation and providing tasks to accomplish throughout the learning.

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Demonstration

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After activating prior knowledge, the demonstration phase is an example of how to proceed. The instructor explains the gameplay instructions and demonstrates a standard round of play. To manipulate the demonstration without breaking the order of play, the instructor can choose to move any character after rolling so they may better utilize the Action Spaces. For example, if the dice show seven and the Interviewer can land on Treasure Hunt by moving seven spaces, they can choose to move the Interviewer to demonstrate the square's action. Each player takes a turn during the demonstration phase to better show how play works. During the round, they understand how bias affects hiring companies and candidates. Once the round is complete, a question-and-answer session allows for clarification before the Application phase.

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Application

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The Application phase is the bulk of the gameplay. Players apply their new knowledge by completing the Action Space tasks and sorting through potential hires. During this phase, players use a forced bias and blind selection process to apply their newly learned knowledge. The gameplay objective is to be the first to select the best candidate for your company. In this phase, players must defend their discard choices to exhibit their comprehension of each process. By now, they have a solid idea of how unconscious bias affects candidates and companies, and the assessment phase has them articulate these concepts with specific examples.

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Integration

The integration phase lets players integrate their now-conscious perspective into their typical work duties. Players choose the best candidate for their company and defend their choice with specific examples of the hiring method used, either blind or biased. They then discuss the best process for companies and applicants and how they plan to use the new knowledge in future hiring practices. By the end of the game, players have met the learning outcome of recognizing unconscious bias during recruitment and hiring and distinguishing its harmful effects on hiring companies and applicants.