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Say you’re a math student in a basic mathematics course online, and you take a test on addition. Whether you’re ready to move on to the next lesson studying subtraction should be based on how well you do on your test, right? If you get nine out of 10 questions correct, you’ve shown enough knowledge of the subject of addition to start learning how to subtract. If you only get three questions correct, you have more studying to do and will be returned to an earlier point in the course to practice.

It’s an unfortunate fact of life that bias is everywhere: in the people with whom we interact, in the technology we use, and even in ourselves. Whether it's conscious or unconscious, bias can and does affect the behaviors and outcomes all around us.

If you’ve ever used Duolingo or Airbnb, you may have noticed the small, cheery animations scattered throughout each site and their apps. These animations may move when you scroll by or when you complete a task, like the flickering cartoon flame Duolingo displays when you’ve had a multiday streak of successful progress in your new language.

Humanity is another aspect of a positive work environment that we prioritize here at Extension Engine. (We’ve previously discussed our approach to authenticity and to transparency.) Although everyone knows what the word “humanity” means, it may seem like a difficult concept to define in terms of workplace culture. But it’s an important one because, perhaps more than anything else, acknowledging and supporting your colleagues’ humanity fosters a situation where everyone can thrive. 

When done well, project management work is invisible to people who aren’t directly involved in doing it. In some ways, that’s by design. There isn’t usually a reason to let everyone in on each behind-the-scenes detail of what happens to make a job run smoothly. That doesn’t mean, though, that every organization uses the same approach to project management, or that every approach is equally effective.