Twentieth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

How do we transform our University’s workplace culture and climate into an environment where people want to work? How do we ensure we have a shared language and agreement for our conduct? After an extensive search of our Higher Education peers and industry leaders, we at the University of Arizona (UA) developed our own program: The Workplace We Want ©. Through the UA’s Workplace We Want © program, our faculty, staff, and students become proactive, courageous co-creators of their own destiny. Through highly interactive, experiential engagement techniques, the Program (re)ignites awareness of personal responsibility and contribution to the greater culture and climate. This newfound awareness allows for self-initiated change. This program is unique in that we engage participants in articulating key elements about the workplace they want. Participants are often surprised and inspired to learn that others want the same thing they do in a workplace. This is especially powerful when the session includes all levels – leadership, faculty, staff, and students. We approach each session as an opportunity to explore and learn together, and this dynamic encourages participation and transformation. Along with the custom, group-generated takeaways, the Workplace We Want © provides each cohort with Six Strategies (direct, distract, de-escalate, depart, delegate, and document – based off the Green Dot Bystander training) that enable and strengthen the group’s potential to successfully address concerns and create change. We include 25/10 Crowd Sourcing to spread innovations “out and up”. It is fun and serious way to generate bold ideas.