Berkeley Lab

IDEA@Berkeley Lab

Our Collective Vision

We believe that IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability) are key enablers to accomplishing our Lab’s vision of bringing science solutions to the world, and are critical components of our Lab’s stewardship efforts. IDEA principles are inextricably linked to our values of team science, service, trust, innovation, and respect. IDEA produces high-performing teams, and drives meaningful impact and outcomes.

IDEA is not separate from our work; instead, it is integral to who we are and what we do. Our goal is to have IDEA become second nature for each person at Berkeley Lab. We want it to become part of our DNA.

LBNL Stewardship Summit

The Stewardship Summit is an intensive 3-day online leadership & management workshop to ignite the potential in who you are, how you lead, and the cultures you create. It is designed specifically for Berkeley Lab’s diverse community of emerging and experienced managers and leaders.

Inclusion means creating environments, large and small, that foster welcoming and belonging.

  • Do you and your teammates feel like you can fully contribute and be a valued member of the team?
  • Do you and your teammates feel like you belong at Berkeley Lab, and are treated with dignity and respect?
  • Do you and your teammates feel safe to speak up, ask questions, or bring up difficult topics?
  • In the workplace, how are you building in “welcoming and belonging” as a team norm?

Diversity refers to the variety of backgrounds, cultures, disciplines, approaches, perspectives, and ways in which we solve problems.

  • Do you work with a diverse set of people in your team, including those on your leadership team?
  • Are you connected to an external network that your team can leverage when building relationships with diverse communities for talent?
  • Do you observe visible commitment from your leadership team that they are committed to a diverse workforce?
  • Are your project teams or leadership team composed of people with similar backgrounds (e.g., demographics and educational institution) and approaches to problem-solving?
  • When posting for a job, what are some of your efforts to cast a wide net and engage with diverse communities?
  • When writing a job posting for a position, are you considering ways in which the posting language can be “gender-coded” and could affect who might apply to this job?

Equity means achieving the aspirational state of ‘opportunity parity’ for all. To achieve equity, we must increase access to and remove barriers to opportunity, taking into consideration individual needs wherever feasible.

  • When team members are hired, promoted, or assigned projects, do you perceive that the process is fair and transparent?
  • Do you observe demonstrated results in your team that your professional success is possible, no matter who you are?
  • Do you believe your team has an “in group” and an “out group” which impact career advancement?
  • When assigning a project lead or group lead (regardless if it is considered a “formal promotion”), how are these decisions made? How are you operationalizing fairness and transparency in your process?
  • In reviewing your diverse candidate pool in the recruitment process, are you or your recruiter observing an equitable rate of progression, or are certain groups “falling out” of the process?
  • When considering how your team members advance in their careers, how can we remove barriers for objective decision-making (e.g., process improvement and/or implicit bias mitigation)?

Accountability means taking individual and collective responsibility for our actions, behavior, and impact on others.

  • What is one thing you can do to help create an equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace?
  • As a team norm, what are some ways to embed DEI as second nature to the way we do business, similar to safety at the Lab?
  • Do you observe visible commitment from your leaders and team members that they are committed to advancing DEI, and to making measurable progress?
  • In meetings, how are you talking about DEI in order to promote a personal connection and investment?
  • In hiring or promotions, how are you considering attributes of inclusive leadership as part of your criteria?
  • How are you engaging with your own supervisor to create alignment on measurable goals?
  • In developing your team members, what are some efforts to help bridge the gap between awareness –> behaviors –> and operationalizing our DEI efforts?