Campus Conversation Café's
In 2019, over the course of three days, 60 female faculty and staff were invited to discuss key themes surrounding women’s career development, leadership, and mentorship. At each of these one-hour events, attendees were seated in small groups of four to eight people. Participants shared ideas prompted by two to three questions. Each group discussion was facilitated by a table host who took notes and kept the participants on track. Participants stated the importance of recognition, team-based mindsets, support systems, motivation to improve, reciprocal relationships, and communities of practice to cultivate leadership and mentorship opportunities.
Faculty Conversation Café, May 8, 2019
Ten faculty members were in attendance and two questions were discussed.
The first discussion question was: What do you need/want in your workplace that would contribute to your career development?
Participants’ discussions revolved around six key themes.
1) Administrative support
Women faculty members talked about their experience of feeling burdened by administrative tasks. There is a sense that administrative tasks are continually being downloaded to faculty members. Faculty members feel like they are spending significant hours inputting data into cumbersome and ineffective university systems (e.g., the expense claim system, FRS, bi-annual performance evaluation).
2) Tenure and promotion criteria
Women faculty members talked about the need for flexibility in regard to the criteria for tenure and promotion. Specifically, they would like non-traditional service work and outputs to be recognized as performance indicators (e.g., mentoring; teaching-related publications).
3) Mentorship
Women faculty members expressed the need for mentorship, particularly in the post- tenure period. The post-tenure period was described as a time when faculty members experience burnout and/or aimlessness, which leads to consideration of leaving academia. Mentorship should include more encouragement for women to apply for promotion to Full Professor.
4) Recognition
Women faculty members would like more recognition of faculty work, in order to show that faculty are valued. Performance evaluation should not be conflated with recognition. Recognition is particularly needed for different types of academic career paths (e.g., teaching-focused) and different definitions of being a successful scholar.
5) Smaller class sizes
Women faculty members expressed a need for smaller class sizes. Because of large class sizes, faculty members felt like their time was unmanageable, with much of it spent “constantly putting out small fires.” Because of time spent on course administration, faculty members had little to no time to conduct research, write, or apply for funding.
6) Support for parents
Women faculty members talked about the need for more childcare support on campus (e.g., more childcare facilities on campus; flexible childcare options for times when faculty are expected to be working such as during night classes). They also expressed a need for more support transitioning to and from maternity or parental leaves (as well as during these leaves).
The second discussion question was: What motivates your desire for career development?
Women faculty members discussed being motivated by four core needs.
1) Respect
Participants want their time and expertise to be respected.
2) Connection
Participants are motivated by being connected with the right tools and people to help them develop as faculty members.
3) Efficiency
Participants are motivated by ease and efficiency of processes, flows and tools.
4) Recognition
Participants discussed being motivated by recognition for non-traditional service work (e.g., emotional labour, mentoring others) and outputs (e.g., teaching-focused writing). In other words, they created different metrics of success for themselves and would like those recognized.
Staff Leadership Conversation Café, May 15, 2019
25 staff members were in attendance and three questions were discussed.
The first discussion question was: How do you define leadership?
Participants collectively saw leadership as a team-based process rather than an individual process. They defined leadership as not only a position/role but a mindset, an attitude or style, that any staff member can possess. For participants, leadership entails the work of: team-building, organizing, encouraging, inspiring and coalescing others. They expressed that leadership requires: responsibility, vision, initiative, accountability, creativity, innovation, resilience and courage. In this sense, leadership was not always equated with promotion to a new job but rather having the opportunity to take on leadership roles in different groups or teams (formal or informal) within the university.
The second discussion question was: What motivates your desire to develop your leadership?
Women staff members were motivated towards leadership by an overall desire for improvement. This included motivation to improve: oneself (personal development and also one’s career trajectory); others (helping others grow and develop); the culture and environment in their work community; and processes and outcomes in their work role. Leadership development was also motivated by wanting to learn. Participants talked about how others (work colleagues and the campus community) motivated them to be leaders. Participants also discussed how their motivations may change over time depending on their age and life stage.
The third discussion question was: What do you need/want in your workplace that would contribute to your leadership development?
The discussions with women staff members revealed seven predominant themes around what is needed.
1) Support
Women staff members expressed a need for support around leadership development. This included being given opportunities for leadership development and growth at work (e.g., training, stretch goals, women’s leadership initiatives). Time and funding for leadership development are two key aspects of support for leadership development. Support also includes encouragement and support from both women and men.
2) Safety
Women staff members want a culture of safety around leadership development. Safety for staff members should be embedded in reporting structures and feedback systems This includes having permission to make mistakes without fear of reprisal and developing an overall trusting and respectful work environment.
3) Recognition
Women staff members would like to see recognition and acknowledgment of both formal and informal leadership development. This includes positive feedback and encouragement. They would also like to see recognition of different kinds of leadership styles.
4) Assurance
Women staff members discussed needing assurance that leadership is valued, that leadership development opportunities will be available, and that they will not be punished for taking risks and trying new things. They would also like assurance that they will not be punished for taking leadership in reporting unsafe work environments. Women also need assurance that they will have access to information and people that can help them develop their leadership skills.
5) Knowledge
In order to develop their leadership skills, women staff members would like transparent knowledge of institutional process. They would also like to develop knowledge of theirs and others’ strengths.
6) Autonomy
Women staff members need a sense of autonomy when it comes to choosing their leadership development path and preferred leadership style.
7) Reflection
Participants discussed wanting to see themselves, and their diverse identities, reflected in leaders on campus (i.e., diversity).
Examples of informal places that participants thought leadership development was happening on campus:
-The Campus Communicators group
-Women Work and Wellness group
Staff Mentorship Conversation Café, May 23, 2019
25 staff members were in attendance and three questions were discussed.
The first discussion question was: How do you define mentorship?
Participants collectively defined mentorship as a reciprocal relationship that included elements of: trust, safety, boundaries, responsibility, support and learning. This relationship involves mentors and mentees sharing with each other. Specifically, sharing experiences, best practices, information and opportunities. Ultimately it is a process of investing in others’ career and personal journeys.
The second discussion question was: What motivates your desire for mentorship?
From the perspective of mentees, women staff members discussed being motivated by the following:
1. Engaging in professional growth through learning and development
2. Receiving encouragement to professionally develop
3. Building connections(e.g.,relationships,networks)through which to develop new perspectives
4. Receiving support from others(e.g.,guidance,advice,feedback)
5. Increasing one’s knowledge of their strengths and how they are perceived, as well as knowledge of opportunities within the organization and organizational insights (e.g., important background information about institutional politics).
From the perspective of mentors, women staff members discussed being motivated by the following:
1. Altruism-contributing to others’ development
2. Empathy-understanding others’ perspectives
3. Exposure-to new ideas
Women staff members also discussed the organizational benefits of mentorship, including:
1) Improving organizational processes such as knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer, and efficiency of systems
2) Helping leaders to identify qualified candidates (i.e., people with skills) within the organization
3) Building organizational community and culture through development of networks and relationships among staff
The third discussion question was: What do you need/want in your workplace that would support mentorship?
Women staff members indicated that solutions meeting these seven needs would support mentorship at University of Guelph:
1) Support
The university should provide training and tools for mentors and mentees. This would involve instructions, coaching and guidance on the mentoring relationship (e.g., helping mentees identify their needs; creating a framework for successful mentorship). Dedicated resources need to be allocated to these tasks.
2) Time
Time should be built into the workday for mentorship work (this shouldn’t be an add-on or “side of the desk” project.
3) Space
The university should create opportunity spaces (physical spaces or events) where informal relationships could start. A culture of mentoring can start with having spaces for contact with others.
4) Recognition
Acknowledge the work of mentorship as a professional activity (e.g., in performance reviews).
5) Communities of practice
Create self-selected or affinity groups where people with a natural commonality can develop relationships.
6) Access
Mentoring should be open and available to all staff members.
7) Reciprocity
Mentorship activities should promote mutual benefit and shared learning.