Twentieth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Education is recognised as the transformative agent that has the potential to affirm an individual’s sense of social connectedness and identity, and empower both individuals and communities. Modern tertiary education has a particularly powerful role in its complex interactions with its many stakeholders. Social expectations are that universities should lead both the thinking and modeling of scholarly, vocational, and social practices which respond to various dimensions of diversity. The paper is based on a case study of how one Australian university designed and is currently implementing a unique, university-wide cultural diversity strategy that has influenced policy, curriculum, instruction, and other elements of organisational culture and practices. The study explores how the power of the appreciative model of intercultural leadership can lead to significant cultural shifts around diversity and cultural inclusion. The Australian University is significant for its student and staff diversity, including, multicultural, indigenous, international, social class, and gender. It has a strong community focus in Melbourne, which has a high representation of migrant, refugee, and emerging communities. Based on an appreciative model of intercultural leadership, the University’s cultural diversity strategy has engaged the community to co-create and embed inclusive and proactive practices in its multitudinous activities. Specifically, the strategy reaches across the four main areas of university work: student scholarship and extra-curricular experiences, staff experiences, research frameworks and practices, and community engagement to frame and drive an innovative educational cultural inclusion agenda.