Beyond Diversity in Government: Representative Leadership in Action

Description

Across the public service sector, increased attention is being paid to diversifying our leadership and workforce. Scholars and practitioners alike have commented on the glaring disconnection between the apparent increase in the diversity and plurality of society and the lack of systematic practices to advance a representative democracy inside of workplaces and externally in our communities. This workshop will focus on the importance of prioritizing values of representation and inclusion inside government workplaces.

Government workplaces represent an ideal setting for the operationalization of such practices due to their inherent external focus on advancing democracy and inclusive participation. However, challenges exist in operationalizing such practices, in large part because of the government’s deeply ingrained bureaucratic practices that oftentimes are antithetical to the practice of organizational democracy.

In the second half of the workshop, attendees will participate in design thinking to contribute their ideas to a public service DEIB strategic framework. Participants will later be invited to join a DEIB in Public Service working group to build on the session’s work.

Learning Outcomes:

• Government sector participants will understand the importance of going beyond diversity to create truly representative structures within their respective workplaces
• Government sector participants will be able to clearly articulate the difference between a diverse workforce and a representative workforce
• Government sector participants will use design thinking to contribute their ideas on what they think should be included in a strategic approach to DEIB in government