[D&I Training] Diversity Sensitivity in the Workplace and Unconscious Bias

We’re all set for the Superdiversity Community’s first D&I training session – mark your calendars for 21^st October, 9:30am CET and RSVP to the event here.

This online training will center on “Diversity sensitivity in the workplace" and "Unconscious bias", and is intended for educators, students, policy and professional staff working in existing D&I or student services to increase their knowledge and skills for working in superdiverse environments.

Programme information

The event will feature 1 lecture + 3 workshops: 

To open the training, Katharina Zilles will introduce the participants with Unconscious Bias in HEI. As an expert in the field, Katharina will introduce the concept of unconscious bias and its relevance to the academic workplace. Participants will learn about the perks and limitations of the concept and understand how two modes of processing our environment and social interactions - ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ thinking - cooperate in ways which may be flawed, leading to biased judgment of others.

The introduction will serve as preparation for the participants for the following interactive workshops of identifying and analyzing specific types of bias, which will be led by Agata Rudnicka. The aim of the Workshops on Cognitive Biases is to gain practical skills in identifying unconscious bias in the academic community. Participants will learn about the most common types of cognitive biases and be able to talk about their causes and consequences. Sharing experiences and working on practical examples will allow them to develop awareness and sensitivity to this aspect. Thanks to the ability to recognize unconscious bias, participants will be able to initiate team activities to eliminate inappropriate behaviour in various processes implemented in higher education institutions.

Katarina Putnik will give some insights on How to avoid unconscious bias in recruitment and selection. In this session, the focus will be on unconscious bias in recruitment and selection process, and the ways of preventing unconscious bias in various stages of the process (preselection as well as selection process).

Jacqueline Onyenze will teach on How to ensure that universities have and retain diverse students through student engagement actions? In this presentation, participants will have the opportunity to explore strategies for fostering diversity in universities by focusing on student engagement initiatives. The session will cover how targeted engagement actions can enhance student recruitment, participation, and retention, particularly for underrepresented groups. Participants will discuss identifying and addressing exclusion mechanisms in institutional practices, creating inclusive environments that support a sense of belonging, and promoting dialogue on inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA). They will also learn actionable steps for implementing these engagement strategies to build a more diverse and vibrant student community.

Speakers:  

Katharina Zilles, Ruhr University Bochum

Katharina works in organisational and staff development and specializes in equity and diversity in academia, particularly with regard to research careers. She has led projects on mentoring and unconscious bias, among others, and takes an interest in neurodiversity as well as in status group-related diversity and discrimination in organisations.

Agata Rudnicka, University of Lodz

Agata works at the Faculty of Management at the University of Lodz, the Responsible Business Forum and the Polish Institute for Human Rights and Business. She cooperates with companies and institutions of the business environment for sustainable transformation. Expert in the Climate Leadership Programme of the UNEP/Grid-Warsaw Centre and coordinator of the Due Diligence Working Group in the Governance Compass Programme of the UN Global Compact Network Poland. Researcher, educator, trainer, mediator and enthusiast of modern teaching methods. Author of numerous scientific publications. Science populariser. Implementer of international scientific and national sustainable development projects. She is particularly interested in sustainable business models and value chains. In her research and popularisation work, she tries to show different ways to integrate ESG into strategic activities through different concepts and approaches such as: business ethics, circular economy, risk management, etc. She pays particular attention to the issue of human rights in business and other types of organisations as an under-represented area in academic and public discussions. Selected by Forbes Women magazine as one of the Women Leaders of Sustainable Development in Poland (2021).

Katarina Putnik, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Katarina's work focuses on developing and adjusting policy, trainings and processes to increase the inclusivity of our employees at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Examples of her work include working on projects such as Beyond 25/25, pay gap, delivering workshops and trainings (for employees and leaders) focusing on topics such as inclusive recruitment and selection, inclusive leadership, social safety etc. Prior to taking up this role 5 years ago, Katarina worked as a researcher on diversity in organisations for roughly 10 years.

Jacqueline Onyenze, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Jacqueline Onyenze is the Project Lead on Student Engagement at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where she is dedicated to fostering a more inclusive student community by enhancing university policies and practices. Her work focuses on increasing the participation of all EUR students, including those from underrepresented and disengaged groups. Jacqueline's key activities include identifying exclusion mechanisms within institutional policies, mapping student concerns, ideas, and needs, and analyzing the political landscape affecting student engagement. She is also committed to improving social engagement among students and fostering dialogue on topics such as Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA). Prior to joining Erasmus University, Jackueline held various positions in both corporate and NGO sectors.