Fostering a diverse workforce has been touted as an issue of social justice and as critical to organizational creativity and success. Yet it remains challenging to effectively address the many barriers to the success of underrepresented groups (e.g., women; LGBTQ+; ethnic, cultural and racial minorities). In this symposium, we will suggest that the most successful diversity and equity initiatives are guided by systems principles at the core of community psychology – specifically that transformative change efforts should: 1) address multiple levels of analysis (e.g., individual, interpersonal, organizational and societal); 2) attend to interdependencies and reciprocal influences among people and settings (e.g., engage diverse constituencies; adapt strategies to unique organizational characteristics); 3) identify informal as well as formal sources of influence (e.g., involve respected opinion leaders); 4) do more than redistribute resources (e.g., moving different people into leadership roles) but also alter daily social processes such as interactional patterns, routines, and norms; and 5) attend to dynamic forces that both facilitate and inhibit systems change (e.g., disrupting negative processes and removing barriers to positive alternatives). In essence, we argue that supporting the success of underrepresented groups in the workplace requires bold, multifaceted efforts to truly transform institutions.

To illustrate, we will present three case examples of transformational initiatives aimed at supporting the genuine inclusion and success of underrepresented groups. All are about the academic workplace, yet each case is set within a different national context. At Deakin University, in Melbourne, Australia, the Diversity and Inclusion team has introduced the concept of Task Forces to embed University-wide policy and practice at a School/Department level. Each staff/faculty Task Force utilizes influential individuals to drive diversity and inclusion change from within. They are action-oriented, connected to outcomes, and driven by broader University strategy. At University of Massachusetts Lowell, in the US, an NSF-funded faculty team has developed a multi-leveled program to address subtle daily biases faced by faculty from underrepresented groups. A strategic element is peer-led bystander training to build an institution-wide community of support for challenging microaggresions. At Queen’s University Belfast, structural and cultural change to support gender equity has been driven by Queen’s Gender Initiative (QGI), an independent, female-focused unit connecting with the Vice Chancellor, senior managers and departments. QGI-promoted policies adopted by the University– e.g., flexible-working, enhanced childcare provision, core business-hours agreement, and family friendly policies – not only benefit women, but everyone with caring responsibilities, engendering an inclusive culture. External peer review processes - such as Athena SWAN in the UK and SEA Change in the US - have promoted self-assessment and progressive action both at Institutional and Department levels.

Three 10-minute presentations will be followed by audience reflections and discussion. We will invite participants to share their own experiences with institutional transformation. Discussion questions will include: what are the challenges and opportunities presented by the varied approaches? In what ways do these interventions actually “transform” institutions versus promote more superficial change? What ideas does this discussion provoke for participants to use in their own institutional change efforts moving forward?