Achieving equality: What it takes to understand and manage diversity

Last Friday (4 April), CAnMove organized a workshop on equality. About 30 curious CAnMove members (and a few from other departments) spent the afternoon thinking about and discussing this important but potentially complicated concept. We were guided by Kerstin Fritsches and Stephen Evill from PostDocTraining.

During the workshop we touched upon the many different aspects of the social environment that can affect equality in a research environment such as CAnMove: leadership, how the things we say and write are perceived by others, understanding and accepting the different personalities we have around us, dealing with cultural differences, and giving as well as receiving feed-back. Lectures were mixed with small exercises in an inspiring and relaxed way. 

The participants could test whether they are practical or creative personalities and we got the flavour of how it would be to work in a super-feminine cultural environment or, at the other extreme, a high-power distance culture with an all-mighty leader. No doubt there are many exciting aspects to dive into as far as equality is concerned and how a research environment will reach its full potential. There are definitely themes for more equality workshops. The workshop and afternoon ended with a nice buffet.

 //Text: Åke Lindström, Photo: Helena Osvath