Drivers for Change – Improve Representation
Equity Framework > Drivers for Change > Improve Representation
Representation is more than the number of underrepresented groups in an organization to achieve “diversity”. Authentic representation that results in meaningful inclusion requires implementation and evaluation of specific strategies that acknowledge, address, and remedy the exclusion of underrepresented groups from sectors, institutions, organizations, programs, and many other spaces of power.
Representation is an important element of equity, but it is about more than people. It includes:
- frameworks,
- models,
- and spaces created and activated with and for diverse interests.
For example, in many sectors, Indigenous and racialized people are underrepresented at the senior, executive, and board levels of leadership. This is due in part to dominant cultures, systems, and practices. Representation is important at all levels, but in leadership it has the power to:
- set norms,
- define culture,
- and create change
On an individual level, representation requires us to be attentive to anyone who is not represented in our own work. We must look carefully at our work to assess representation and take active steps toward change when we see there are those left out.
When groups who face inequity are underrepresented, the diversity of ideas, questions, techniques, tools, and methods are also limited. In short, whole systems suffer when there is a lack of representation.
Adapted from:
- Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture. Retrieved from
https://www.equityinthecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Equity-in-Center-Awake-Woke-Work-2019-final-1.pdf - A Partial Picture: The representation of equity-seeking groups in Canada’s universities and colleges. Retrieved from
https://www.caut.ca/docs/equity-review/a-partial-picture-mdash-the-representation-of-equity-seeking-groups-in-canada-rsquo-s-universities-and-colleges-%28nov-2007%29.pdf?sfvrsn=10 - OCADU: Task Force on the Under-Representation of Racialized and Indigenous Faculty and Staff. Retrieved from
https://www.ocadu.ca/sites/default/files/legacy_assets/documents/Presidential%20Task%20Force%20on%20the%20Under-Representation%20of%20Racialized%20and%20Indigenous%20Faculty%20and%20Staff.pdf
Further Reading / Additional Resources:
Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. (2020). Beyond Inclusion: Equity in Public Engagement. See Section 2 “Representation without Tokenism” (page 37-38).
City of Toronto. (2019). Workforce Equity and Inclusion Plan. The goal of the City’s Workforce Equity and Inclusion Plan is diverse representation at all levels of the organization to reflect the diversity of the population the City serves, as well as building a more inclusive workplace culture. The Workforce Equity and Inclusion Plan involves three strategic areas of focus: Enabling Data Informed Decision-Making, Fostering a Culture of Engagement and Inclusion, and Embedding an Equity Lens throughout the Employee Life Cycle. Read the Plan here: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accessibility-human-rights/equity-diversity-inclusion/workforce-equity-inclusion-plan/
A Partial Picture: The representation of equity-seeking groups in Canada’s universities and colleges. Retrieved from:https://www.caut.ca/docs/equity-review/a-partial-picture-mdash-the-representation-of-equity-seeking-groups-in-canada-rsquo-s-universities-and-colleges-%28nov-2007%29.pdf?sfvrsn=10
Sample Tools:
Equity and Inclusion Lens Handbook, 2018. City of Ottawa and City for All Women Initiative (CAWI)
See section “Recruiting and Hiring Staff and Volunteers” (page 38)
https://www.cawi-ivtf.org/publication/equity-and-inclusion-lens-handbook-2018/