On Monday I completed an eight-week session looking at how to address gender inequality in advancement. When I started the program I was asked to take a survey and the results served as a baseline. The survey asked five to seven questions that started with basic demographics – gender, age, years at the institution, role at the institution, and then moved on to more text-based responses such as if I’ve ever felt at a disadvantage at work because of my gender. 

This was the first program and the developer is working with researchers who are going to study the results and write a paper on the efficacy of the program.

The last day of the program is this week, so we were asked to take the same survey so that the creator and researchers can see if there was any change in my beliefs, knowledge, and perceptions. 

These two surveys I happily completed because not only do I know that my response matters, but also because I believe so strongly in the program and the leader. I’m also curious to see if it contributed to a general mindshift of the participants. As an OD practitioner, I’m eager to see the results and to learn if the program had an impact on shifting the mindset of one hundred and fifty individuals.