What is the Social Researchers of Colour (SROC) network?
The SROC network was established in 2020, following a workshop exploring the experiences of early career researchers of colour. The ‘Navigating the White Research Space’ workshop surfaced the need for cross-sector networks and support, as researchers of colour are almost always a minority within their organisations and teams. After some ad-hoc meetings the SROC network formalised: we established a committee and (of course!) ran a survey to understand our members’ needs.
SROC network meetings are monthly, and cover a broad range of topics, from career progression to managing challenges at work. The space has proved an invaluable way to connect and share experiences and having a safe space has enabled open and honest discussions. Over time, some themes emerged from the experiences members shared, including:
- challenging workplace cultures
- insufficient support to develop and being overlooked for promotions
- lack of representation
- lack of action by senior leaders to mitigate challenges and barriers
When the Social Research Association and Young Foundation published a research report in 2021 examining diversity in the social research profession, we realised the experiences of SROC members were reflected more widely across the sector. This made us think: if the challenges researchers of colour face in the workplace are shared across the sector, then surely cross-sector solutions could be developed to tackle these challenges.
Navigating the White Research Space: the sequel
We decided to follow up our original workshop for early career researchers, by providing an ‘action-focussed’ workshop for senior leaders in the social research sector. The goal was to move away from discussions and towards solution forming. We felt that senior leaders needed time and space to identify ways they could support and retain Black and ethnic minority researchers in collaboration with other senior leaders across the sector.
The workshop included a panel discussion with four senior leaders: Nancy Kelley (CEO, Stonewall), Tim Hobbs (CEO, Dartington Service Design Lab), Dominic Arthur (Recruitment Director, Cabinet Office), and Letesia Gibson (EDI consultant). After the panel discussion, SROC network members facilitated break-out groups as an opportunity for attendees to focus on solution-forming, identifying where actionable change could be implemented in their organisations.
Key themes from the panel discussion
The panel discussion was rich and insightful, covering recruitment, progression, the challenges and benefits of embedding anti-racism, and holding peers to account. Panellists emphasised that improving recruitment to increase staff diversity was only the first step; if meaningful behaviour and culture change was not also embedded, efforts to increase diversity would not be sustained. Working to make the research environment more inclusive was therefore seen as a critical mechanism for change.
The panel discussion surfaced two key considerations for improving inclusion:
- Workplace culture – many workplaces operate on Western, white, middle-class norms when it comes to things like socialising, politeness, clothing, and hairstyles. These norms can be unfamiliar or different to marginalised groups, and therefore alienating. Senior leaders play a critical role in setting workplace cultures
- Professionalism – there is a code of conduct for workplace behaviours such as meeting etiquette or speech style in certain contexts. These ‘rules’ are linked to race and class and are often unarticulated, leading to exclusion. Senior leaders must interrogate how their organisations view ‘professionalism’ and whether it reflects white middle class ideals.
Barriers and solutions identified by senior leaders
The break-out group discussions illuminated several challenges and solutions that fell into three main themes: caring for social researchers of colour, nurturing talent, and taking a systemic approach to EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion). A selection of challenges and solutions within these themes are givenbelow; for a more extensive list, see the workshop slide deck [LINK TO BE PROVIDED]
Caring for social researchers of colour
- Challenge: Senior leaders do not feel comfortable or equipped to have conversations about race. This can negatively impact researchers of colour
Solution: Employ a professional to lead and monitor EDI, facilitate difficult conversations and support senior leaders to improve their confidence and abilities
- Challenge: Line managers can create barriers through unconscious bias
Solution: Provide regular management training to ensure approaches to managing development and progression are consistent and inclusive
Nurturing talent
- Challenge: Skills and ways of working that diverge from the “norm”, such as creative methods tailored for marginalised communities, are not always valued, despite minoritized groups being hired for those skills
Solution: Reflect on development and progression routes and take a more employee-centred approach
- Challenge: Lack of representation within senior leadership
Solution: Ensure leadership teams are racially diverse, to motivate and inspire junior researchers and foster a sense of belonging
Taking a systemic approach to EDI
- Challenge: Not enough data is captured on the experiences of people of colour within organisations
Solution: Collect more data and use existing benchmarks to identify and address areas of concern
- Challenge: Anti-racist policies and processes are unclear
Solution: Establish policies that directly address racism and racist behaviour and outline clearly how staff will be held to account
Reflections and recommendations
After the workshop, the SROC network reviewed the solutions. We propose some recommendations to help senior leaders feel empowered to continue doing the work:
- Get comfortable with the uncomfortable: Leaders need to be OK with the idea of making mistakes in order to set a culture of learning and curiosity rather than fragility and fear
- Champion a culture of care: As leaders, you are looked up to for guidance, so it is your responsibility to champion a culture that acknowledges, supports, and celebrates lived experiences
- Move beyond mentoring: While mentoring is valuable, this alone does not create an inclusive workplace. Mentoring should have a clear purpose and not be relied upon to the detriment of effecting real culture change
- Invest in EDI resources: Paying for ongoing training and support from external experts is crucial for leaders to stay up to date on emerging theories and concepts while having the opportunity to ask difficult questions. This will help leaders feel confident and comfortable talking about race and other EDI issues
Moving beyond discussion and towards taking action will not be easy. This workshop was a valuable first step; it is now up to senior leaders to act!
Acknowledgements
This workshop was sponsored by Kantar Public, Ipsos, and NatCen Social Research, supported by the Social Research Association, and moderated by members of the SROC network (Marie Bashiru, Vicky Cummings, Talia Dundoo, Anna Heltmann, Melaina Hepher-Richards, Sheyi Ogunshakin, LaShanda Seaman, and Bethany Thompson).
Author bio: Dr Shivonne M. Gates is Impact Lead at Frontline and co-chair of the Social Researchers of Colour network. Her research and evaluation work focuses on children and families, with a particular interest in using innovative evaluation methodologies to understand and improve interventions. She is also a Trustee on the board of Dartington Service Design Lab.