Joint WICS + Diversity Committee Workshop: Authenticity and Culture Change in Academia

“Be the change you want to see”: How being authentic can improve academic culture

Universities lose a lot of talent when young academics drop out because they do not feel at home or like they “fit in” in the organization or in academia more generally. The traditional work culture of academia is focused on competition and individual achievements. The goal of this workshop is to challenge the notion of this academic work climate as a given and to discuss new and different ways of being an academic. To this aim, we discuss the dominant organizational work climate in academia and talk about how many (and especially young) academics experience a lack of belonging in this culture. We will also present evidence that many academics feel this way and challenge the perception that this culture is fixed and broadly shared (also called ‘pluralistic ignorance’). Young academics will be invited to think about the kind of academic they want to be and ways to be their authentic self at work. Moreover, we will challenge them to develop their individual role as agents of change in academia. Senior academics will be stimulated to discover their potential role in organizational change and learn about the potential of diversity in the group of young academics at their university.  

The workshop will be led by Belle Derks and Jenny Veldman:

Belle Derks is Professor of Social and Organisational Psychology at Utrecht University. Derks studies the organizational culture within academia, focusing on organizational dynamics that limit diversity and the inclusion of international scholars, women and working parents within academia. She examines how academic excellence is defined and scrutinizes the impact of the competitive “superhero” image on the careers of junior academics. Her research is aimed at developing a more sustainable and inclusive academia. Derks is an experienced speaker and gives lectures and workshops based on her expertise in public and private organizations, such as the KNVB, ASML, and the Ministry of Finance. 

Jenny Veldman is Assistant Professor in Social and Organisational Psychology at Utrecht University. She examines the underrepresentation of social groups in work and education, with a focus on women in majority-male fields (e.g., science, engineering, the military) and students from lower socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds in higher education. Veldman is especially interested in understanding how people actively cope with, rather passively undergo, the challenges they face in work and education. Ultimately, her work is aimed at understanding why, despite substantial changes, group inequalities in work and education persist. 

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