Stage
Early Career
Key Obstacle
Culture of Exclusion
Goals
Create identity-safe interactions to foster a sense of inclusion
Realizing identity-safe environments
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How can we educate adults about implicit bias in a way that fosters mutual respect and creates a more inclusive culture in the workplace? Project RISE will harness our understanding of implicit bias, intergroup contact, and social identity threat to create a more “identity safe” workplace culture.
Early Career
Culture of Exclusion
Create identity-safe interactions to foster a sense of inclusion
Women leave engineering at a much higher rate than men, and many who do cite an unwelcoming workplace culture as a factor in their decision. Interventions designed to create identity-safe contexts have been shown to narrow the gender gap in academic performance. Some forms of diversity training have also been shown to reduce bias. No research has tried to pair these two approaches together to change aspects of organizational culture in ways that foster more supportive working relationships between men and women.
Project RISE aims to create positive cultural change for women and men in science and engineering by: (1) educating participants about implicit bias, (2) fostering supportive and respectful interactions between men and women in the organization, and (3) providing them with a clear understanding for how to combat bias. Applying techniques to increase openness and understanding of the consequences of bias, our aims in Project RISE are to highlight women’s often untapped potential, equip women with strategies for coping with social identity threat, and empower men to become effective allies for equality.
Photo Credit: UBC Public Affairs
Project RISE is currently launching a randomized controlled trial of two evidence-based workshops on leadership and inclusion. Read more about how your organization can get involved:
The Project RISE team combines expertise in the science of implicit gender bias, bias reduction, intergroup contact, diversity, and STEM outreach.
Project RISE proudly partners with the University of British Columbia, University of Waterloo, University of Toronto, Simon Fraser University, Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (WinSETT), City of New Westminster, City of Port Moody, City of Vancouver, CloudArmy, District of West Vancouver, General Motors Canada, Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE), McElhanney, Metro Vancouver, the National Research Council (NRC), Magnitude Simba Technologies, Teck Resources, Canada’s particle accelerator centre (TRIUMF), Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, Engineers Canada, the Engineering Change Lab, Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR), the National Network of NSERC Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering, the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST), and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO).
To learn more about how your organization can contribute to
the ESS research and benefit through participation in the project, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!
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