Composition of the team
We now know that a high level of diversity in teams and working groups is desirable for many reasons. This aspect is also taken into account and in some cases evaluated when applying for research projects, in particular in research clusters. The underlying idea is to honor and make constructive use of diversity among employees and their perspectives by taking a conscious approach to differences in gender, ethnicity, social background, sexual orientation, age, religion, and physical and mental health.
In research proposals, there are 3 levels that are especially well suited for addressing the topic of diversity in team composition:
- composition of the existing team at the time of proposal submission (in particular (co-)spokespersons and PIs)
- diversity-sensitive hiring processes when filling the proposed positions in the project
- structural anchoring and awareness-raising measures in the entire team
In regard to the PI list, we recommend an initial brief but critical check of the criteria academic age, internationality, and gender. If the team is highly homogeneous in regard to these criteria, you should consider whether you want to integrate additional/other persons whom you may not have thought about adding until now. If this is not possible or desired, the levels (2) and (3) mentioned above offer a good opportunity for proactively addressing the situation. You should pay closer attention to these levels even if your current team is highly diverse, however, as they will provide you with the opportunity to clearly illustrate your awareness of your responsibility.
Information on how to make hiring diversity-sensitive can be found below and elsewhere:
- Guidelines for diversity-oriented, structured staff selection (Technische Universität Dresden / University of Duisburg-Essen)
- Gender-neutral design of staffing procedures (University of Konstanz)
- Online tutorial on gender bias in academic search procedures (Heidelberg University)
- Equal opportunity in academic searches and staff selection (MIN Faculty, Universität Hamburg)
We recommend planning a job position (for one or more people) in which the topic of diversity-sensitive interaction within the project group is structurally anchored. Those filling this position can have organizational responsibility for the topic as well as serve as confidential contact(s). You can conduct awareness-raising measures for the entire team at events such as seminars, workshops, retreats, etc. Special care should be taken to ensure that the entire project team takes part (and not just the doctoral researchers, for example).
Possible topics at such seminars can include:
- gender-awareness training
- family-friendly leadership
- anti-racism training
- critical whiteness
- culture at work