Stage
Early Career
Key Obstacle
Culture of Exclusion
Goals
Create identity-safe interactions to foster a sense of inclusion
ProjectRISE
Realizing identity-safe environments
Jump to:
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.
The Problem
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.
Our Approach / Goals
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
Current Research
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:
Team Leaders
The Team
The Project RISE team combines expertise in the science of implicit gender bias, bias reduction, intergroup contact, diversity, and STEM outreach.
Joyce He PhD
Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations, UCLA Andersonjoyce.he@anderson.ucla.eduRead Bio
Sonia Kang PhD
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Department of Management, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and Special Advisor on Anti-Racism and Equity, University of Toronto MississaugaRead Bio
Lesley Shannon PhD
NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (BC/Yukon); Professor, School of Engineering Sciences, Simon Fraser UniversityRead Bio
Project Partners
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).
BECOME A PARTNER
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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