Breaking the Bias Cycle: A Conceptual Model for Mitigating Unconscious Bias in Hiring and Promotions.

Unconscious bias in hiring and promotion processes continues to undermine workplace diversity and organizational performance. This conceptual paper develops a model for identifying, understanding, and mitigating unconscious bias within organizational decision-making. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature from organizational behaviour, psychology, and human resource management, the proposed model integrates awareness-building, structured decision protocols, bias-interruption strategies, and accountability mechanisms. By emphasizing both individual and systemic interventions, the framework highlights practical steps organizations can implement to reduce biased judgments in recruitment, evaluation, and promotion decisions. The model also considers the feedback loop between organizational culture and decision-making practices, demonstrating how interventions at multiple levels can sustain bias reduction over time. This paper contributes to the literature by providing a structured, actionable framework for HR practitioners and managers to break the bias cycle, enhance fairness, and foster inclusive workplaces. Future research can empirically test the effectiveness of the model across diverse organizational contexts.