In late January, twelve research leaders and senior staff from seven separate UK based institute and university organisations gathered at the John Innes Centre to undertake leadership training specifically tailored for enhancing gender awareness as part of the Rosalind Franklin Women in Wheat Champions programme.
Over three days the participants received practical training on inclusive leadership from two exceptional trainers from hfp consulting: Dana Galili and Sue Hewitt, both former life scientists. Participants were also guided in reflecting on their own current leadership style and personal experiences. This helped seed new knowledge and resources across multiple organisations across the UK wheat research community to enhance the collective ability to raise gender equity within teams and in institutional culture.
The leader of the Rosalind Franklin Women in Wheat Champions programme, Professor Diane Saunders, remarked: "This training was an immensely powerful and enlightening experience. The new skills, and time spent reflecting on my own leadership approaches, I'm confident will help me become an even more effective and inclusive aware leader going forward."
With so few female researchers in leadership positions in the wheat community, this training marked an important step towards enhancing the diversity in the community that is essential to achieve a wheat secure future. Dr Kim Hammond-Kosack, Group Leader at Rothamsted Research noted: "Although we are science leaders from different organisations and generations spanning three decades, this leadership training course clearly revealed that UK based female leaders in wheat research have faced and continue to face many similar challenges to achieve, remain and excel in their leadership roles.
"The collective experiences shared on this excellent training course by this cohort of women leaders and the strong peer support network established with male leaders during this training event, now provides a unique opportunity for the UK wheat community to address and gradually change reoccurring themes that are clearly holding back UK female talent and wider diversity and inclusivity in wheat research. Three well spent days outside of my normal routine."
One element the group found particularly helpful was the opportunity to hear the lived experiences of the female participants. Professor Nick Talbot, Executive Director of The Sainsbury Laboratory, commented: "We have a long way to go to achieve a truly equitable environment for female scientists that provides opportunities and fairness at all levels. We should re-double our efforts to ensure that diversity and inclusion are values that we operate by in all aspects of our work. The course provided a forum to reflect upon best practice and positive behaviours in leadership. It was inspirational and important."
Creating supportive environments that embrace inclusivity and diversity is essential to maximise scientific creativity and innovation. Dr Clare Stevenson, Head of Science Coordination and Research Culture and chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity committee (EDI) at JIC, commented: "This training was excellent! It was not only thought-provoking, but also seamlessly integrated EDI and belonging into senior leadership tools and techniques. The cohort is now equipped and empowered to drive real change within their organisations, and the peer support network will be invaluable."
Looking to the future, the tools and deeper awareness the participants gained on how to better tackle the unconscious barriers that women and other under-represented groups face is an effective stride towards creating the transformative change needed in inclusive equity in the wheat research community in the UK. Whilst also disseminating the learned skills in inclusive leadership across multiple organisations to enhance research culture much more broadly across each community where these leaders reside and beyond.
The leadership training provided by hfp consulting was funded by the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) grant number APP44128. The Rosalind Franklin Women in Wheat Champions programme is funded by BBSRC and The Royal Society.
