Often, gender and racial inclusion cannot occur without changing governance structures
generally, which in turn benefits the overall institution. Take a situation involving
an untenured faculty member who, after 3 years, has not yet been invited to present
work at a major conference or obtained a major grant to support her work. She seeks
advice about how to negotiate with her department chair as part of her third year
review. The faculty change agent investigates at the departmental and school-wide level.
She learns that internal grant money is allocated informally, and that people with close
research ties to the chair have gotten most of the money. Men in particular research
fields with strong representation among the senior faculty have gotten tremendous
amounts of informal mentoring, opportunities for collaboration, and co-sponsored
grant applications. Much of this informal social networking takes place under the radar
screen and is taken for granted. Those outside the inner circle are left to fend for themselves.
The faculty change agent prepares an informal report, which is used to defuse
criticism of the junior faculty member and put in place a developmental plan for her
advancement. This situation also triggers a broader initiative to address the absence of
support for junior faculty in developing funding opportunities, collaborating with significant
scholars in their field, and participating in core activities defining legitimacy at the
departmental level. Her use of root cause analysis thus shifts the terms of the negotiation
at both the individual and systemic levels.