“It is difficult but important to talk about colleagues’ stories”

Ulrika Georgsson

, 2023-01-26

In English further down.

”Det är svårt men viktigt att prata om kollegors berättelser”

Den 12-13/1 hade ITM-skolan sitt årliga ledarinternat. I stort sett samtliga ITM-chefer deltog. En stor del av tiden, en halv dag, ägnades åt JML-frågor och åt en stor undersökning om genusbaserad utsatthet. Åsa-Karin Engstrand, lektor på INDEK och en av medarbetarna på KTH Equality Office, presenterade studien och ledde två workshops.

Enkätstudie om: Genusbaserad utsatthet och sexuella trakasserier i svensk högskolesektor

På den första workshopen diskuterade vi i mindre grupper vilka erfarenheter vi har haft, och har, av genusbaserad utsatthet. Allt från diskriminering till direkta trakasserier. Det är inte helt enkelt att prata om dessa saker, att höra och diskutera kollegors berättelser och erfarenheter – men det är viktigt.

Övningen var en slags kick-off för årets aktiviteter inom JML-området. Vi gör två utbildningssatsningar under våren, två kurser i förändringsledning för ITM:s chefer. Den ena kursen ges för ITM:s prefekter, och den andra för 14 av ITM:s enhetschefer, från samtliga institutioner och från verksamhetsstödet. De kommer att få lära sig hur man leder förändring med fokus på kultur, normer och bemötande. ITM:s chefer kommer att kännetecknas av mod, förmåga att leda förändring, ställningstagande och respekt för sina medarbetare.

I diskussionerna på workshoparna får man aha-upplevelser, insikter, tankar om att även det egna beteendet behöver utvecklas och förändras. I diskussioner med kollegor får man hjälp att hantera frågorna tillsammans.

Med detta sagt så ser jag mycket fram emot denna vår.

/Martin Edin Grimheden, JMLA på ITM-skolan

“It is difficult but important to talk about colleagues’ stories”

ITM school’s annual off-site leadership conference took place January 12-13. Almost all ITM managers participated. A large part of the time, half a day, was devoted to JML issues and to a large survey on gender-based vulnerability. Åsa-Karin Engstrand, lecturer at Indek and one of the employees at the KTH Equality Office, presented the study and led two workshops.

Enkätstudie om: Genusbaserad utsatthet och sexuella trakasserier i svensk högskolesektor (Swe)

At the first workshop, we shared and discussed in small groups what experiences we have had, and have, of gender-based vulnerability. Everything from discrimination to outright harassmentss. It is not easy to talk about these things, to hear and discuss the stories and experiences of colleagues – but it is important. The exercise was a kind of kick-off for this year’s activities in the JML area. We are doing two training initiatives in the spring, two courses in change management for ITM’s managers. One course is given for the department heads, and the other for 14 of ITM’s unit managers, from all departments as well as the university administration (before: support services). They will learn how to lead change with a focus on culture, norms and equal treatment. ITM’s managers will be characterized by courage, ability to lead change and respect for their employees.

During the workshops, insights strike you, like the one that my own behavior patterns need to develop and change. In discussions with colleagues, you get help to handle the issues together. Having said that, I am very much looking forward to this spring.

/Martin Edin Grimheden, JMLA at the ITM School

In times of conflict – remember our core values

Ulrika Georgsson

, 2022-03-15

In English further down.

Så här i konflikttider – kom ihåg våra kärnvärden

Kära kollegor,

På KTH har vi kollegor från hela världen. Inte minst från Ryssland och Ukraina.

Våra kärnvärden vilar på en grund av demokrati, människors lika värde, mänskliga rättigheter och frihet samt fri och öppen diskussion. Och det vi gör utgår på övertygelsen att utbildning och forskning kan och bör bidra till förbättrade levnadsvillkor och en samhällsutveckling som uppfyller krav på ekologisk, social och ekonomisk hållbarhet. Som teknisk högskola har KTH ett särskilt ansvar för att utveckla och dela kunskap som krävs för att främja en sådan hållbar utveckling.

I min roll som en del av vårt universitet vet jag att jag kan bidra till denna långsiktiga utveckling, mot en hållbar framtid. Men jag har svårt att se hur jag kan bidra här och nu i dagsläget. Jag känner att vi tillsammans behöver stödja dem bland oss som behöver stöd. Det är omöjligt att helt och fullt sätta sig in i situationen som ukrainska kollegor upplever, att vara i Sverige långt ifrån familj, släkt och vänner i Ukraina.

Vi måste respektera varandra, oavsett var vi kommer ifrån. Vi har medarbetare på ITM-skolan från Ryssland, Belarus, Ukraina såväl som från andra delar av världen. Bara en liten påminnelse: varje individ förtjänar respekt även i denna situation.

/ Martin Edin Grimheden, Jämställdhets-, mångfalds- och likabehandlingsansvarig på ITM-skolan och prefekt på Institutionen för maskinkonstruktion.

In times of conflict – remember our core values

Dear colleagues,

Here at KTH, we have colleagues from all parts of the world. Not the least from Russia and from Ukraine.

Our core values at KTH are based on democracy, the equal value of human beings, human rights and freedom and free and open discussion. Our activities are based on the conviction that education and research can, and should, contribute to improved living conditions and to the development of society which fulfills requirements regarding ecological, social and economic sustainability. As a university of technology, KTH has a particular responsibility for developing and sharing knowledge that is required in order to promote such sustainable development.

In my role as a member of our university, I know that I can contribute to this long-term development, towards a sustainable future. But I find it difficult to see how I can contribute here and now in the current situation. I do feel that we, as a community, need to support those among us that needs support. It is impossible to put ourselves in the situation of Ukrainian colleagues, being in Sweden and having family, relatives and friends back in Ukraine.

We need to respect each other, regardless of where we are from. We have members at ITM from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine as well as from other parts of the world. Just a reminder: every individual deserves respect even in this situation.

/Martin Edin Grimheden, Gender equality, diversity and equal treatment manager at the ITM School and Head of the Department of Machine Design

Gender equality a quality issue

Jenni Hollbrink

, 2020-02-12

This is your new, well fairly new, JMLA blogging. What JMLA is? It’s the person responsible for Gender Equality – Diversity – Equal treatment issues at ITM. I took on this role after Sofia Ritzén since I feel very strongly for these issues, especially gender equality.

The JML work at KTH is led by Anna Wahl, who brings together all the schools’ JLMAs. She organizes and develops the work at a KTH level. At the ITM school, we have a newly established JML group, led by me, consisting of all the head of the departments, the administrative head, GA, and JMLA’s partner from HR, a role that Helena Lundqvist very pleasantly has taken on. We will meet regularly to plan activities and lead the work on these issues at ITM.

There will be JML-groups at each department, some are already established, to work with more specific department related issues. These groups will interact across the departments and have contact with JMLA. That was just a brief description how we intend to organize the work.

What else has been done? Everyone with a management position has during the fall taken a course on gender equality led by Näringslivets Ledarskapsakademi. Here we have learnt a lot about equal treatment, we have had interesting discussions and given time to reflect on these issues. Many of you have attended workshops at the departments that was a part of this course. How to proceed this work was discussed at ITM’s annual leadership conference January 16th to 17th at Såstaholm. “What can I, as a manager at ITM, do to improve gender equality at ITM?” It resulted in a long list of useful ideas, at school level as well as at the department level. However (and this is important), this is a joint effort – no one is responsible for improving every single task on the list, but we are all good at something and together we can make a change. Gender equality is a prioritized area at KTH and mainstreaming is our government’s main strategy to reach gender quality. So working with gender equality is actually not a choice, and last but not least: it is a quality issue.

Last, I would like to share some reflections from the ITM’s annual leadership conference where Christer Olsson gave a very inspiring lecture on leadership. He said that gender equality is not a numerology but a feeling. I think it’s important to keep that in mind. The number is indeed very important, but we must not hide behind activities to improve the numbers. We must also improve the working environment so that everyone feels included, especially women. It is important that we can convey the feeling of being excluded to those who have not experienced it. We need to collect and share stories to reflect on. I would also like to point out that equality work is not at all just a benefit for women. Many men are also affected by the non-inclusive structure that many times prevail at KTH.

And further on we will also focus on the M and the L.

Annika

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“It is difficult but important to talk about colleagues’ stories”

”Det är svårt men viktigt att prata om kollegors berättelser”

“It is difficult but important to talk about colleagues’ stories”

In times of conflict – remember our core values

Så här i konflikttider – kom ihåg våra kärnvärden

In times of conflict – remember our core values

Gender equality a quality issue