We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge and culture and that this diversity is valuable, bringing many advantages. The group is asked to determine if any processes, actions, decisions or recommendations in the group could adversely affect staff or students on the basis of their: age, disability, including mental health, caring or dependency responsibilities, gender or gender identity,  marriage and civil partnership status, political opinion, pregnancy and maternity, race, colour, caste,  nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, union, membership, or socio-economic background. If so, the group is asked to seek to identify whether any mitigating measures can be put into place to reduce the impact. We will form a type of social group environment which enchorage diversity, develops outstanding communication and collaboration skills and provides equal opportunities to all group members to form their own authentic lives and contribute to society, and thereby a creative research environment that allows radical innovation.

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Radical innovation requires the formation of a social environment in which different perspectives and individuals are allowed, encouraged and connected in a linked manner. For this, the perspectives/individuals must be considered of equal value, of similar importance which allows us to meet and communicate on equal terms, regardless, and even because of, our differences. Together, we learn how to promote a “Linking-of-diversity” type of social power structure, and how to detect and suppress the opposite type of social structure: a “Ranking-of-similarity" social environment in which individuals and perspectives that are ranked according to a given norm.

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A consequence the ranking social environment is discrimination. Discrimination implies that it is not the best students or staff that thrive and succeed. Hence, for a society to achieve its’ full potential, it is essential to suppress discrimination and create social power structures and environments that are diverse, inclusive and in which all individuals have equal opportunity to create their own, authentic lives and contribute to society. Furthermore, discrimination is not fair and it is not legal. During this century, novel equality legislation in the UK requires institutions in Higher education to take a much more proactive approach than earlier towards delivering equality. The Equality Act 2010 consolidated the duties, and replaced them with a single duty covering equality on grounds of age, disability, gender-reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion of belief, sex, sexual orientation (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15). Here, the concept “race” includes colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins.

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Examples of practices, which are well-aligned to the Learning and Teaching strategy of the University of Sheffield (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.661828!/file/FinalStrategy.pdf).:

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1. The learning is our group is student-driven, and the role of the Group leader is to ensure a social environment is a safe, inclusive “Linking-of-diversity” - type of social environment. 

2. A continuous, teacher-facilitated discussion at group meetings about the theory in social power structures, including basic underpinning principles, Master suppression techniques (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_suppression_technique), and examples of how suppression techniques and power structures manifest in practice.

3. An interactive, situation-based discussion around social power structures between the group leader and all new group members at a Welcome meeting, before the induction.

4. The chair of the weekly Group meetings is commonly a person who is the most recent member of the group. 

5. The chair of the group meetings highlights the following, second learning objective of the group once/week: “To gain outstanding translational skills in collaboration and communication”. We regularly discuss how to develop and assess this learning, and self-assess if this learning objective is reached. 

6. We use formalised procedures. This includes standard formats for documenting and presenting data, have written Group meeting Agendas and Minutes, meeting chair and secretary, and have a clear, written communication strategy document, that can be continuously updated by all group members. The formalised processes ensures equal opportunities to communicate and participate for all members, facilitates communication and overcomes cultural and language barriers. 

7. The group meeting Agendas show the following EDI statement at the top, and it is read by all group members on a weekly basis,  before the start of the Group meeting.

“We recognise that people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge and culture and that this diversity is  valuable, bringing many advantages. The group is asked to consider whether any decisions or recommendations made could adversely affect  staff / students on the basis of their: age, disability, including mental health, caring or dependency responsibilities, gender or gender identity,  marriage and civil partnership status, political opinion, pregnancy and maternity, race, colour, caste,  nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, union, membership, or socio-economic background. If so, the group is asked to seek to identify whether any mitigating measures can be put into place to  reduce the impact.

1. Encourage diversity, and respect for differences. For example in terms of multiple ways of thinking, career goals, and cultural differences. 

2. Celebrate our differences, and use our differences to create better social environment, more innovative science, higher quality of medical education, and contribute to a more healthy world.

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Dr Gad is a current member of the committee for Equality, inclusion and diversity,  and the Athena SWAN committee at medical school, and a mentor in the BAME mentorship programme at the University of Sheffield. She is also an Early career researcher champion at the department of Oncology and Metabolism, and has engaged with equal opportunity work in the academia in six countries, for example as a mentor and part of the advisory group for the Mentor4Equality project at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden,(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281626722_Not_the_chosen_one_-_gender_ethnicity_and_power_in_research_careers).