Unconscious bias goes hand-in-hand with the concept of
unearned advantage. The two kids on the seesaw start out at the same level and
can play together. As time goes by, however, one accumulates advantage and the
other disadvantage. Any
one slight may seem minor, but small imbalances and discrepancies accrue. Not
only will they no longer be able to play together in future, but these
disparities can have major consequences in salary, promotion, prestige, and
advancement to leadership positions (Merton 1948; 1968).
There is no such thing as an unimportant small difference because they all add to the total. Success
comes from creating and consolidating these small gains, and successful people
seem to know how to take advantage of this. “Mountains are molehills piled one on top of the
other” (Valian 1998).
