 |
Commission on the Status of Women "identify, advocate for, and increase awareness of needed change" |
|
|
|
Climate and Culture
Climate and culture have multiple layers. It is possible to have an overall positive climate in the university, but a negative climate in one’s unit. The reverse is also true. One can thoroughly enjoy their department, but find the overall climate or culture to be a negative one for women’s advancement. Climate and culture can also be ambivalent, with some positive aspects and some negative aspects, overall and within one’s unit. Many of the comments we heard throughout our small group interviews expressed these kinds of distinctions in their experience of the climate at ASU. Recommendations in this report are therefore aimed at both the general climate and at the unit level—the "microclimate" in which people work and learn. In some sense, all of the recommendations that will be made in this strategic plan are concerned with the climate and culture of working and learning at ASU. Each priority area is aimed at improving some specific area of ASU’s climate and culture. Recommendations in this area are aimed more broadly at the overall climate and culture and, as a result, there may be overlap with more specific areas. To see an update on CSW's progress for this priority area, click here. Issues regarding Climate and Culture The single biggest issue consistently identified throughout the small group interviews was the power of unit heads (chairs, directors, supervisors) to determine the climate of their unit. Many of ASU's workplace policies that have been most important to women, such as release time for staff training and flexible work schedules, are left up to the discretion of the supervisor. Thus, policies are implemented unevenly and inconsistently across the university, creating the perception of an inequitable climate. Other problems identified in the climate for women include:
|
The
term climate is most directly understood as the environment in which a
person works and learns. Significant indicators of a positive climate
are that individuals feel valued and respected and believe they are
treated fairly. Culture refers to the core values and behavior patterns
that are supported in the university environment through institutional
policies, organizational structures, resource allocation, evaluative
criteria, and customary ways of acting. Climate and culture issues can
be expressed along any of these dimensions. For example: Does the
university recognize that balancing work/academics and family concerns
is important to a large segment of its employees and students? Has it
allocated resources for the provision of benefits, programs and
services? Does it view these resources as investments in its employees
and students or as window-dressing? Are there policies that take account
of the potential need for flexible work scheduling or family leave? Is
the use of these policies encouraged or discouraged, overtly or subtly
and by whom?