“If you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together” – Decolonizing Leadership in Organizations

Catherine Etmanski was awarded an Internal Grant for Research to present a research project examining organizations in goal of supporting decolonization and improved workplace cultures.

The quote in this project’s title, often attributed to Lilla Watson, encapsulates the spirit of solidarity and mutual liberation with which I engage in collaborations with Indigenous colleagues. The goal of this proposed project is to present preliminary findings from a SSHRC-funded project at the Hawaii International Conference on Education (HICE) in January of 2023. Presentation objectives include: (a) Identifying the ways in which colonial thinking, structures, values, and practices embedded in organizations contribute to less than ideal workplace cultures; and (b) developing creative leadership, learning, research, community development, and organizational change strategies that support decolonization and healthy workplace cultures.