Gender and Equality as Innovation Ewa Gunnarsson, Prof. The division of Business administration, Technology and Social Science Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden The project; Gender and Equality development in the Faste Laboratory, is part of the VINNOVA TIGER program The Faste Laboratory is a VINN Excellence Center consisting of 8 industrial partners and 6 academic partners at LTU The TIGER program is a strategy to strengthen the fulfilment of gender mainstreaming in strong research and innovation milieus

Gender Science A gender science platform is combined with interactive and participatory methods and processes to promote a sustainable gender mainstreaming change. Gender science is seen as a leverage to innovation in extending the knowledge base for recruitment, competence and career possibilities.

Interactive and participatory approach Interactive processes and participatory methods are means to create more innovative organizational change processes and joint learning processes among researchers and participants. ‘Catalytic validity’ the degree to which research process reorients, focuses and energizes participants towards knowing reality in order to transform it (Lather, 1994).

’Gender Reflective Reminders’ A process tool that embodies important gender concepts that pay attention to gendered structures in society such as: - Gender contracts on different levels The relative subordination of women Responsible or care rationality

Doing gender as a theoretical approach Fenster- Maker and West (2002) was linked to theories on gendering processes in organisations (Acker, 1999, Gunnarsson et al. 2003, Kvande, 1998 and Korvajärvi 1998) Doing gender is seen as an ongoing situated activity and interactive action between women and men, between women and between men. The theory incorporates a dynamic view on how gender is done in organisations and at the same time makes structures and relations of power visible.

Identity Self-definitions Four interacting sets of processes in the model Sex-segregations Symbols/images Identity Self-definitions Interaction

eds Janet Chafetz Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York 1999 Sets of processes (entrances) to study gender inequality in organisations Procedures: activities and divisions Images, symbols, forms and consciousness Interactions between individuals and groups Internal mental work Joan Acker “Gender and Organizations” in Handbook of the Sociology of Gender, eds Janet Chafetz Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York 1999

Main focus of exploration GENERATED IN THE PILOT STUDY WITH JOINT DISCUSSIONS WITH THE INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS Recruitment processes, the formulation of competence i.e. in advertisements, programs, policies and career paths for women and men. The achievement of increased gender integration and competence is expected to broaden the development of new products, services and markets. “Developing” the male dominant culture to show values and norms that are an obstacle to an increased and sustainable gender equality and gender competence achievement.

Two case studies Sandvik Coromant and LTU A core of ”gender equality actors” are driving the process in the organisations facilitated by the researchers. Sandvik Coromant: 14 Middle managers LTU: 12 -14 researchers/managers

A collaborative research and change process The participants in the two groups and the two researchers are involved in a joint learning and change process. The participants will during these three years increasingly own the change process.

Using different participatory methods that ”develop” the cultures in these male dominated environments to make explicit values and norms that hinder gender equality integration and increased gender competence, for example through gender observations, value exercises, analyses of policy document and reports.

Some results… Sandvik Coromant *This project has been the platform and the ignition for today’s education and learning program including top management, middle managers (about. 50p) in the organisation. *Gender equality education for all staff (about 500p) During February to April 2011 *Benchmarking through visiting global companies in the USA (IBM, Lilly etc..) in May 2012 *Shifting focus from gender equality to diversity *Gender- and diversity mainstreaming is today seen as an important part of their ‘employer brand’ and is being launched globally in the overall Sandvik consortium.

What became visible? Competence - a gendered core issue. A workshop with the aim to make visible how they recruit middle managers. Started with a discussion in small groups where they listed competencies that they thought a professional middle manager should have. Then they all discussed and reflected upon what they have listed. The researchers were only facilitating the procedure. Then they were asked to categorize the compences according to 4 categories: Formally aknowledged Not formally acknowledged General - General Specific -Specific Based on work by Andreasen och Jörgensen, 1987,developed by Gunnarsson, Abramhamsson and Gunnarsson, 2003) What became visible?

What is the problem? A learning ’good example’ or getting lost in transformation? Emerging dilemmas when a technical economical rationality meet social science traditions.

The field – an advanced technical male dominated industrial milieu The construction of knowledge The construction of competence How is this reflected in the recruitment processes? The privilege of evidence based measures The demand within the company and from the funding body

Research questions to be explored more in-depth: Who is setting the gender mainstreaming agenda in terms of issues and actions to be taken? How is consensus and dissensus negotiated?

PROMOTING INNOVATION POLICIES, PRACTICES and PROCEDURES Eds. Andersson, Berglund, Gunnarsson and Sundin Published by VINNOV A November 2012 Content -Policies -Practices How to organize for innovative innovation systems -Procedures Methods and procedures for example. Doing gender with an interactive approach

SOME REFERENCES The Action Research Dissertation – A guide for Students and Faculty, Herr and Andersen (2005, Sage). The Snake and the Apple in the Common Paradise, Gunnarsson, in Action Research and Interactive Research – Beyond practice and theory, Aagaard Nielsen and Svensson, eds. (2006, Shaker Publishing) Other Sides of the Coin – A Feminist Perspective on Robustness in Science and Knowledge Production, Gunnarsson, in International Journal of Action Research, issue 3, 2007. Power and Knowledge in Collaborative Research, Phillips, Kristensen, Gunnarsson and Vehviläinen, eds. (August 2012, Routledge) Promoting Innovation – Policies, Practices and Procedures, Andersson, Berglund, Gunnarsson and Sundin eds. (november 2012, VINNOVA)

Some results… LTU The group of 12-14 researchers/managers and one project administrative support has: Explored reports, information folders etc and re-designed them in a more gender neutral way. Investigated the values of words and gendered meaning of words. It is also currently developing a model called Gender Awareness Action Level (GAAL) to measure innovation and change in gender mainstreaming processes.

FROM ACTION RESEARCH TO INTERACTIVE RESEARCH A general definition: ”Where researchers, funding agencies and ’user groups´ interact throughout the entire research process, including the definition of the research agenda, project selection, project execution and the application of research insights.” (Caswill & Shove, 2000 in Svensson, Ellström and Brulin, paper presented at the HSS09 conferenence in Luleå, 2009)