EDI-Informed System Transformation

Ivy Lynn Bourgeault, University of Ottawa & Canadian Health Workforce Network

Successful leaders think systemically to help achieve System Transformation, the final S in the LEADS Framework. System transformation is not only focused on the health system, but also on systems that perpetuate inequity, lack of diversity, and exclusion within the health system, be that sexism, racism, ableism, classism, ageism or settler colonialism. This can be daunting for health leaders but it builds on the previous elements of the LEADS Framework. By leading from where they are presently situated, successful leaders can champion and orchestrate systemic change. The first capability, systems thinking, can be augmented through tools such as Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), where the plus refers to other EDI dimensions of visible minority and Indigenous status, and disability, among others. A GBA+ perspective encourages leaders to be cognisant of the forms of differentiation, to challenge commonly held assumptions (i.e., unconscious bias) and to systematically apply this lens consistently and transparently across all leadership activities. The federal Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE), formerly Status of Women Canada, hosts a number of GBA+ tools as a starting point. EDI-informed systems transformation requires leaders to move beyond their own leadership journey and develop capabilities to strategically assess which key societal structures pose the strongest barriers to EDI and to strategically orient themselves to support innovation and champion change.