Leaders Workshop
Every year Informatics Europe organises a special Workshop for Leaders of Informatics Research and Education, as part of the ECSS global program, to address specific challenges they encounter in their role. The workshop is a unique networking forum for leaders of Informatics institutions and research groups, and focuses on concrete issues and practical solutions.
Date & Main Theme
The 2019 workshop was held on 28 October (Monday), chaired by Gregor Engels, Department of Computer Science, Paderborn University and Geraldine Fitzpatrick, Faculty of Informatics, TU Vienna. The central theme was Developing as a Leader in an Academic Context, with main focus on special skills and leadership training needed to play a leadership role at any level in an academic environment.
Content
Academic leaders need a variety of special skills, but they usually do not get any special training. In the three sessions of the workshop we offered a platform for inspiration, exchange and discussion of problems and best practices, covering topics like:
- How to be a leader of leaders?
- How to bring your best self to the role of leader? How to handle the multiple demands/stress of being a leader?
- How to create a collaborative support culture? What environments enable people to do good work and to develop professionally? How to handle difficult people/situations?
- How to create a more diverse culture?
Format
This was a highly interactive workshop, based on evidence-based leadership research, with a series of discussions/knowledge sharing/exchange in both large and smaller groups and summarising presentations that point to current research and practical guidelines.
Leadership Models
On Being a Leader: the first session provided an opportunity for participants to hear about evidence-based models of academic leadership, to reflect on their own leadership style and challenges, and think about what sort of leader they want to be and the skills that are needed for this.
Unconscious Bias
Promoting Diversity: the second session was joint with the WIRE workshop and explored how to promote diversity and to recognise and act against unconscious bias.
Getting Practical
You as a Leader: the third session explored very practical strategies and approaches for dealing with leadership challenges, especially as brought up by participants, and promoting collaborative compassionate productive workplace cultures. This covered both leading others and leading yourself.
Agenda
08:30-09:00 Registration
Room: Trinita' Dei Monti
09:00-09:15 ECSS 2019 Conference Opening
09:15-11:00 Session 1: Leadership Models - On Being a Leader [Slides]
11:00-11:30 Coffee Break
11:30-13:00 Session 2: Unconscious Bias - Promoting Diversity (Joing Session with WIRE Workshop) [Slides]
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:45 Session 3: Getting Practical - You as a Leader [Slides]
15:45-16:15 Coffee Break
- 16:15-16:30 Luciano Floridi - University of Oxford
- "Ethics of AI" [Video Talk]
- "Ethics of AI" [Video Talk]
- 16:30-17:15 Virginia Dignum - Umeå University
- "Responsible Artificial Intelligence" [Slides]
17:30-19:30 ECSS 2019 Welcome Reception at Hotel NH Collection Roma Centro Bar