Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project Managers

Organizational systems are inherently complex, with decision-making processes influenced by interactions between individual perceptions, social norms, and systemic structures. In project management, unconscious gender biases represent a hidden layer of complexity, subtly shaping evaluations of competences and leadership potential. This study explores how unconscious gender biases emerge as part of the complex dynamics within organizational decision-making systems. It investigates the interplay between individual cognitive biases and systemic factors in defining what constitutes a “good project manager” and how these biases influence hiring and promotion decisions. Using a sample of project management professionals, we applied noise-based reverse correlation (NBRC) to reveal participants’ unconscious mental representations of an ideal project manager by generating faces that best represented project managers. The study then compared these representations with conscious competence evaluations based on the International Project Management Association (IPMA) Competence Baseline, incorporating statistical methods to identify patterns of bias and preference. The findings reveal that unconscious gender biases align with entrenched stereotypes, favoring traits associated with masculinity in leadership roles. However, when consciously evaluating specific competences, participants displayed preferences that challenged these biases, suggesting a misaligned relationship between unconscious perceptions and explicit decisions. Unconscious gender bias operates as a hidden variable within the complex system of organizational decision-making, creating feedback loops that reinforce traditional stereotypes. Understanding these dynamics requires a system-level approach that integrates cognitive and organizational perspectives. Our findings highlight the need for interventions that address both individual biases and structural factors to foster equitable decision-making in complex organizational environments.