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In Develop leadership and talents

Encourage leadership commitment

Karin Grasenick, DEOC | 29 September 2021

In the following, an example for an EDI Mission Statement and a checklist for leaders to identify and reflect leadership practices relevant for their area of responsibility, are outlined.

Example for an EDI Leadership Checklist

  1. Do we maintain statistics that differentiate gender and career levels of our staff?
  2. Have we checked our statistics against available reference numbers (e.g. university data, reports of the European Commission or publishers like Elsevier)?
  3. Does the diversity of our team represent the diversity of the available workforce?
  4. Are all genders proportionally represented at all career levels?
  5. Are job advertisements tested with representatives of the target groups to ensure that they are a clear invitation to all groups, e.g. genders, nationality, age?
  6. Are the networks and channels for advertising open positions evaluated on a regular basis to ensure that the greatest pool of possible applicants is reached, especially applicants who are under-represented according to the reference data?
  7. Are all open positions communicated transparently and made easily accessible to the overall pool of applicants with the specific skill profile sought (e.g. scientific background, language competences, etc.)?
  8. Are guidelines and briefings in place for selecting applicants via evaluation of written applications (to counteract unconscious biases in the best possible way, e.g. considering type of contract/framework conditions under which certain achievements have been made)?
  9. Are guidelines and briefings in place for designing and documenting hiring interviews (to counteract unconscious prejudices in the best possible way)?
  10. Are hiring or appointment decisions clearly documented and communicated to all applicants (if possible explaining how the decision was reached, in accordance with national regulations)?
  11. Are measures in place to support new team members and/or leaders in performing their new tasks to the best of their abilities (e.g. buddy systems, mentoring, welcome packages, training, etc.)?
  12. Do we know and have we made best use of related measures at our organisation or university?
  13. Is the distribution of work resources within a team or unit re-evaluated on a regular basis (e.g. time for research and publishing, distribution of additional administrative workload, writing proposals, time in the lab, lab equipment, salaries, financial resources for conferences,  etc.)?
  14. Are measures in place to ensure a collaborative, inclusive culture that values each person’s contribution (e.g. team training, workshops enhancing mutual understanding across all disciplines, cultures, and genders, regular reflection, surveys, support in conflict resolution, etc.)?
  15. Are measures in place to enable life-work-balance, in collaboration with employers and other relevant organisations (flexible working hours, Kindergarten, dual career service, coaching)?
  16. Have we provided career advice and development plans for all employees?
  17. Are there measures in place to make sure that these plans are not influenced by unconscious biases (e.g. comparing and reflecting plans, as well as work distribution in a team, to ensure that the distribution is fair and that what is demanded for a specific career goal does not differ significantly from one person to the other)?
  18. Are measures in place to counteract disadvantages and to give talented people the chance to acquire all necessary skills (e.g. based on cultural differences, less experiences with specific tasks)?
  19. Do we monitor and reflect on data on drop-out rates and career aspirations and career achievements?
  20. Are leaders actually held responsible for an inclusive work environment enhancing equal opportunities within their area of responsibility (e.g. via training or by redefining their area of responsibility)?

Conclusions of this reflection, follow up steps:

 

European-funded projects are expected to strive for equal opportunities for all affiliated personnel, at all career levels and functions, with a specific focus on gender.

In this respect, a partnership receiving funding could be a role model for further projects by developing a vision and mission as well as clear guidance for people with leadership responsibilities. Chartas and/or Codes of Conduct might be formulated, while the European regulations and guidelines (see “Consider the European framework for equality”) should be the baseline.

Within the partnership, each country or institution has its own leadership principles. However, high-level documents are often not known by the staff and/or tend to be forgotten. Thus, it might be helpful to develop a document that can be signed thereby indicating personal commitment to follow EDI principles, independently from a specific leadership position.

The checklist for leaders on top of this page helps to identify and reflect leadership practices relevant for their area of responsibility.

An example for an EDI Mission Statement, as endorsed in the HBP, is outlined below.

Example for an EDI mission statement

The HBP has developed a mission statement for equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion to enhance these elements within the partnership framework. This mission statement can be considered as example for promoting equal opportunities within a project, organisation or infrastructure (HBP, 2020):

“The HBP strives, by all means, for equal opportunities for all affiliated personnel, at all career levels and functions, with a specific focus on gender. In this respect, the HBP intends to be a role model for complex large-scale science projects.

To achieve these goals, the [Boards] set the framework and measures for equal opportunities to address the equal opportunities goals as defined in [the strategy]. Leaders in charge of personnel decisions define and justify the composition of their staff, their goals and equal opportunities measures.

The HBP reference model for equal opportunities is a cascade model:

    • All genders are expected to be represented at each career level in proportion to the level below.
    • The initial figures are derived at the level of PhD students and Postdocs, based on ratios from sources like the European SHE FIGURES, the Elsevier gender report or organisational statistics.
    • If there is a significant difference, the responsible leaders will check closely to try to find the reason. If the reason is discrimination, the HBP will endeavour by all means to fix that.

The HBP fosters a collaborative culture that acknowledges and values each individual’s contribution to its innovative results, without discrimination.

Leaders are aware that distributing work and resources impacts equal opportunities and act accordingly. Each leader and each person affiliated contributes to fairness and equal opportunities within his or her area of responsibility, following the checklist for equal opportunities and the hiring and (s)election procedures for personnel and representatives.

The HBP adopts a learning attitude and will further develop principles, guidelines and procedures. Results are continuously monitored and evaluated. The related [EDI Unit and Committee] supports all leaders and persons affiliated with the HBP in their activities concerning equal opportunities.”

References

HBP (2020): HBP Leaders’ Commitment to Equal Opportunities and Inclusiveness. 8.3.2020. URL: https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/en/about/gender-equality/measures-and-materials/#_leadership [16.09.2021]