09 August at 04:00PM
Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity: PMs Focused on Making a Change
Diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) are not new ideas, yet these words have gained greater meaning for so many people in the last few years. DEI principles have become a focus for many organizations and industries because more and more employees want change to happen and difficult conversations to occur. Historically, there are far too many instances of inequality, racism, and exclusion to count. Still every day is an opportunity to learn, be better, appreciate more, and aim to understand a little of what marginalized groups and communities have experienced and why they continue to strive to achieve equity. In May 2020, while the world was trying to survive the uncertainty of a global pandemic, it also witnessed the brutal murder of George Floyd, and it impacted several cities and communities around the world to shout once again that BLACK LIVES MATTER (BLM).
PMI Toronto (PMIT) Chapter President, Jeffrey Thompson, was heavily impacted by this tragedy, empowering him to act. He said he knew that “we must do better for ourselves, our chapter, and our community.” So, he created a dedicated committee that would focus on diversity, inclusion, and equality that would impact and educate current members and gain new members wanted a change. In conversations with Marc Blanchette, past President of PMIT, introduced Jeffrey to Roberta Jane Heggie, previous Chapter President and an active Chapter volunteer.
Jane knew the Chapter needed a committee that could fill a significant gap and possibly expand to other chapters well. She wanted to “lead PMI through the change that needs to happen.” This fundamental change would mean having a committee dedicated to both governance responsibilities but be tactical as well, with active working roles for volunteers.
For several months Jeffrey and Jane collaborated on their vision for the committee and created the scope for the committee. It is important to note that PMI Global’s President & CEO, Sunil Prashara, supported the inception of initiatives that would lead to inclusion and equality throughout all PMI Chapters. The DEI committee started to take form, and with the support of the Board, engaged volunteers into Research Lead roles via the Volunteer Relationship Management System (VRMS). Each research lead would focus on one facet of an industry, topic, or community. Each element could outline biases and develop ways to remove biases and incite change—or at least create a safe space to speak about prejudices, racial injustices, and inequality employees were experiencing or witnessing in the workplace. After several planning meeting, the DEI Committee was formed and held its first team meeting in the Fall of 2020.
A Dedicated Committee Contributing to Making a Change
In speaking to several committee members, I learned why they wanted to be on the DEI team and how they are working toward making changes for our Chapter, partnering with other Chapters, creating changes within their organizations, and working with others in multiple industries. The members of this committee are passionate change makers.
The 2020-2021 committee members include:
- Jeffrey Thompson, Sponsor
- Roberta Jane Heggie, Chairperson
- Christine Blair, Deputy Chair
- Shereen Hassan, Research Lead
- Tiffany Joseph, Research Lead
- Jaeda Laurez, Research Lead
- Oliver Omole, Research Lead
- Jameela Pereira, Research Lead
- Mary-Ann Spearing, Research Lead
- Henry Tombe, Research Lead
- Ryan Totesau, Research Lead
- Alessandra Valério, Research Lead
As the Chapter’s President and DEI Committee Sponsor, Jeffrey Thompson is dedicated to creating a diverse community where we can all share ideas, have difficult conversations in a safe space and learn from each other. He explains that “racial diversity plays into corporate society.” He is a strong supporter of those who have made significant achievements, including those in the Black community. Our Chapter has partnerships with organizations such as the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals (CAUFP), the Peruvian-Canadian Chamber of Commerce (PCCC), and Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN). PMIT is also a signatory to the BlackNorth Initiative.
The Research Leads all have areas that they are researching to find out where the biases exist in their industries and workplaces. They consider who feels marginalized, who has experienced misogyny or racial bias, how can we create a safe space for difficult conversations to be had, and how can we implement changes. By identifying the problems, speaking to others, and creating awareness we can start making changes.
Alessandra Valério’s research project is misogyny in the workplace, and she and her team say that change “starts with a conversation.” Alessandra explains that “we do not all think the same way, so we must encourage others to get outside their ‘bubbles’ and speak out.” This approach is the best way to address diversity, misogyny, and equality.
As a Canadian Chapter, we must also recognize and honour our Indigenous communities, leaders, and partners. Indigenous Diversity and Inclusion Research Lead Mary-Ann Spearing joined the team to celebrate Indigenous People but also highlight the PMs, leaders, and changemakers in project management who are also Indigenous. Mary-Ann has contributed to blog articles in addition to her research project. As a proud Inuit woman, she wants to support other Indigenous PMs to join PMI and give a stronger voice to the great work Indigenous PMs have done and continue to do.
Ryan Totesau, the Diversity in Financial Services Research Lead, joined the team to make positive changes and create inclusion and equality in the financial services industry. Ryan explains that “there is a lack of diversity in financial services in Canada today.” He aims to “improve the financial products/services offered within diverse communities” by creating services that hold no bias. As PMs, we have an opportunity to create a workplace and deliver projects void of cultural bias.
DEI Highlights
The scope for the DEI committee included crucial areas within the Chapter to initiate conversations and change. One of the first Chapter meetings held in the 2020-2021 fiscal year was a conversation surrounding systemic racism. Some of the other goals the committee had included:
- To increase awareness of bias in businesses and how PMs could address bias
- To conduct member (and community) surveys focused on experienced bias and the harm this caused
- To engage membership (and the wider community) on issues of bias, how to address them, and how to move forward
Since its inception as a committee within the PMI Toronto Chapter, the contributions and research projects have evolved. Some fundamental changes implemented including adding pronouns to PMIT members’ email signatures, the addition of the Land Acknowledgement before every Chapter event and meeting, which as Jeffrey says, “honours the people who were here before us.” The committee has also collaborated with other Chapters in Canada and the US to increase awareness and keep change moving forward. There were also DEI-targeted questions in this year’s membership survey.
The changes the DEI committee has made to the Chapter thus far have brought issues to light and created allies through the events they plan to the articles they have written to make changes in how we think and perceive our PM colleagues.
Looking Back on a Year of DEI-Driven Content
One of the initiatives the DEI committee aimed to achieve was to increase awareness of bias in businesses. In 2020-2021 PMIT’s Monthly Chapter meetings were a platform that accomplished this goal.
DEI-focused chapter meetings:
- August 2020: Understanding I IDEA (Intersectionality, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Black Racism)
- September 2020: 1) The Evolving World of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion & 2) Adapt, Adopt and Thrive: The Robot Revolution, Agile and their Impact on Your Profession
- November 2020: AGM/ AMM: Perspective from Canada's Financial Services: Valuable PM Skills, Adapting to Change and Diversity & Inclusion Efforts
- February 2021: Black History Month Panel: Personal Diversity Experiences, Professional Career Path and Understanding Black Community Contribution in Canada
- March 2021: How Can Project Managers Best Create Environments where Women in Leadership are Supported and Thrive?
- June 2021: Addressing the Needs of Customers Internally and Externally: A Celebration of Pride in Project Management!
Another way to increase awareness is to have difficult conversations about the experiences of bias we have faced. PMIT and DEI launched a blog series called Personal Stories of Bias. These stories are powerful and eye-opening to read what our colleagues have faced in the workplace and their everyday lives. The incredible series generated great conversations, allyship, and recognition of the many ways people experience bias. The series included:
- Robert Jane Heggie’s Overcoming My Internal Bias
- Christine Blair’s Story of Bias: Allyship vs Unconscious Bias in the Workplace
- Dr. Jannette Thompson’s A Story of Bias - What it Means to be Black
- Garry Donaghy’s A Story of Bias - Odd One Out
The Chapter allowed us as a community to come together and be changemakers in our work and lives and provided us with some tools to consider when many people asked, “What can I do?” in a year of revelations, tragedy, and unrest. Jeffery stated, “We must do better,” and as a Chapter we need to invest in change and recognition. Some of the features we included on our Chapter blog addressed some important events and outlined ways we as individuals and a community can do better. The blogs included:
- Are You a PM Ally?
- Celebrating International Indigenous People’s Day
- Residential Schools and the Inspiration for Orange Shirt Day
- Seven Ways To Be An Ally to Marginalized Groups
The plan for the committee was to create initiatives that each research lead would plan and execute for various industries so that project managers could start to make positive changes and be allies.
The DEI committee greatly impacted the changes we as members have seen in the Chapter. Their work, commitment, research, events, articles, and dedication will continue, and we are looking forward to the positive impact they will continue to make this new year.
Get Involved
Looking to get involved in PMI Toronto DEI initiatives? Support the PMI Toronto Steering Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. For inquiries, please contact Roberta Jane Heggie.
