What is an inclusive workplace? Why does it matter? What are the advantages and opportunities? How do you build a genuinely inclusive and diverse workplace? The Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects is running a series of events on Workplace as part of its Continuing Professional Development program. The first is The Inclusive Workplace.

The Inclusive Workplace: Monday  20 August 2012, 6pm

There is now a substantial body of research showing that well-managed, diverse teams are more productive and effective – in both creative and economic terms. But diverse teams only work in genuinely inclusive environments. So, how do we ensure that architectural practice is positioned to make the most of the opportunities?

In this session Dr Karen Morley will outline the ingredients of the inclusive workplace, and how this might be achieved. This will be followed by chaired discussion between Karen and a panel of architects, who will reflect on what these ideas might mean in the context of architectural practice. How might they be adopted in productive ways? What are the possible hiccups and what are the opportunities?

The speaker

Dr Karen Morley leads Karen Morley & Associates and is a co-founder of Gender Worx. She has over 20 years experience in leadership consulting and has worked with a range of business, government and not-for-profit organisations. She has extensive experience working with organisations, teams and individuals to increase their leadership effectiveness and has made significant contributions to Australian leadership research. Her focus is on the creation of transformational change through insight into patterns that hold back chance and mastery of improved ways of thinking and acting.

The panel

Anna Maskiell, SKM
Carey Lyon, Lyons
Joshua Wheeler, MGS Architects

Chaired by Dr Karen Burns, University of Melbourne, co-editor of Parlour: women, equity, architecture, and one of the Chief Investigators on the research project Equity and Diversity in the Australian Architecture profession: women, work and leadership.

Book here.