Ledelseskompetanse som drivkraft for organisasjonsutvikling på vei mot et mangfoldig, inkluderende og likestilt akademia

How can leaders contribute to creating a more gender-balanced, diverse, and inclusive academic culture? Finding answers to this question is at the core of the project “Leadership Competence as a Driving Force for Organizational Development Towards a Diverse, Inclusive, and Gender-Equal Academia” at Østfold University College (HiØ). In recent years, Østfold University College has placed gender balance and equality higher on the agenda, through initiatives such as the Balance project BESK – From “Best in Class” to Systematic Work for Gender Balance (2021–2022), and through its ongoing efforts to fulfill obligations under the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act’s activity and reporting duty. Increased awareness and commitment to these issues are evident in the university college’s annual reports on equality and diversity — from 2022 to the most recent report from 2024 — which confirm a strengthened institutional focus on this area. Despite this progress, the 2024 report shows that traditional gender segregation persists, with a predominance of women in health and welfare disciplines and a corresponding male dominance in technology-related fields. While several initiatives and external requirements have helped highlight gender balance and equality, there is also a growing need to broaden the focus on diversity and inclusion beyond gender. Østfold University College has a steadily increasing number of students from language minority backgrounds — both Norwegian-born students with immigrant parents and first-generation immigrants. With a more diverse student population, there is also a need for greater awareness and competence in creating an inclusive learning environment for all. Initiatives already underway include a mentoring scheme that mirrors the diversity of the student body and competence-building measures for staff to better support students with language challenges. However, this diversity among students is not yet reflected among the employees. Identification, mirroring and the experience of representation matters — for engagement, well-being and recruitment of student as well as for employees. Continued efforts to promote a diverse and inclusive academia are therefore essential to fulfilling the university college’s societal mission, particularly in light of regional demographic challenges. The persistence of gender segregation and limited diversity in academia has many underlying causes, but leadership competence in the areas of diversity, equality, and gender balance is frequently highlighted as a decisive factor for success. The project “Leadership Competence as a Driving Force for Organizational Development Towards a Diverse, Inclusive, and Gender-Equal Academia” aims to develop a learning model that enhances awareness, knowledge, and practical competence among leaders, research leaders, and PhD supervisors in these areas. The goal is to make diversity, inclusion, and equality an integral part of leadership and organizational development at Østfold University College. The learning model consists of various educational resources that can be integrated into existing training programs and courses. It is organized as a three-module framework, covering "Introduction to Equality and Diversity, focusing on legal frameworks, action plans, and institutional responsibilities", "Diversity in Practice, emphasizing how to foster inclusive and non-discriminatory organizational cultures", and "Gender Equality and Gendered Organizations, examining how structures and norms shape opportunities and participation in academia". Research consistently shows that leaders’ competence and engagement are crucial for achieving progress in diversity and equality work. By developing and implementing this learning model, the project aims to support Østfold University College in becoming a more conscious, knowledge-based, and inclusive organization — where leadership acts as a true driving force for change. In a time when academia faces significant challenges related to funding and recruitment, conscious, informed, and inclusive leadership is more important than ever.

Høgskolen i Østfold har gjennom de siste årene satt kjønnsbalanse og likestilling på dagsorden, blant annet gjennom balanseprosjektet BESK – Fra «best i klassen» til systematisk arbeid for kjønnsbalanse (2021-2022) samt at det i årsrapporten for likestilling og mangfold (2022) stadfestes at høgskolen ønsker å øke innsatsen på feltet. På tross av økt oppmerksomhet på tematikken likestilling og mangfold generelt, og ved Høgskolen i Østfold spesielt, så viser årsrapport for likestilling og mangfold i 2022 at den tradisjonelle kjønnsfordelingen med overvekt av kvinner innen helse- og velferdsfag og en skjevfordeling motsatt vei innen teknologitunge fag videreføres og også er noe økt. Forklaringen på det fortsatt kjønnsdelte akademia er mangefasettert, men det har blitt fremhevet at ledelsens kompetanse når det gjelder likestilling og kjønnsbalanse representerer en avgjørende faktor for hvorvidt organisasjonen lykkes eller ikke. Prosjektet Lederkompetanse som drivkraft for organisasjonsutvikling på vei mot et mangfoldig, inkluderende og likestilt akademia vil ha som hovedmål å utvikle en læringsmodell som skal heve bevissthet, kunnskap og ferdigheter, i tillegg til å øke handlingskompetanse når det gjelder mangfold, inkludering og likestilling for ledere, forskningsledere og PhD-veiledere. Læringsmodellen vil bestå av et tredelt «kursopplegg» med ulike læringsressurser som forberedelsesmateriell, undervisning / forelesning, diskusjonsoppgaver som kan integreres i allerede eksisterende programmer og kurs. Innholdet i de tre delene vil være 1) introduksjon til det overordnede arbeidet med mangfold, inkludering og likestilling, med utgangspunkt i Likestillings- og diskrimmineringsloven, aktivitets- og redegjørelsesplikten og Handlingsplan for likestilling og mangfold. 2) vil ha fokus på mangfoldsarbeid og det å utvikle inkluderende og ikke-diskriminerende praksis og organisasjonskultur. Likestilling og «kjønnede organisasjoner» vil være tema for del 3).