Conference 2012

FFNT 2012 Conference on Gender in Academic Leadership Recommendations

1.Create awareness that gender discrimination exists in our university, like it is part of our whole society.


2.Have gender equality as a movement that is positive, a business case that improves our university with clear stated goals and a diversity officer at management level, like the Vice-Rector at the University of Tromso. But be aware that you need conflict solving abilities because diversity does not come easy although it greatly contributes to creativity and performance.


3.In the recruitment and selection process:

Be aware of the ‘similar-to-me’ effect and stereotypes

Have at least two women on the recruitment committees

Monitor the number of female applicants

Stimulate female talent to apply

Actively search for female candidates

Recruit in open procedures

Have clear selection procedures

Explain the choice after selection


4.Have transparent promotion criteria and procedures with adequate feedback mechanisms. Include larger time spans for tenure trackers with maternal and parental leaves. Include criteria that measure both competiveness and cooperation.


5.Stimulate organizational learning by:

Mentoring by experienced leaders helps to support new managers/leaders

External coaching is useful for stressful events & processes (e.g restructuring)

Nurturing of virtual & face-to-face networks which provide vital support for leaders

Debate diversity, excellence and gender in leadership more often at universities

Facilitate action learning for new leaders to enable sharing of experience & ideas

Enabling early & mid-career female academics to acquire relevant cultural, social and scientific capital

Setting up emerging leaders programs which enable academics & administrators to explore different kinds of leadership in which they can engage (Burgoyne 2009, Madsen 2012


6.Provide good role models in leadership positions who do not work 85 hours a week


7.Sponsor women academics who want to be leaders (e.g. promoting them to learned society posts, references, putting name forward for vacancies)


8.Give early career female academics opportunities to referee for journals & grant awarding bodies, so they begin to learn peer review & gate-keeping skills