Co-creating EDI, psychological safety, and mental health in the forestry and wood product manufacturing (WPM) sectors: A transdisciplinary research project with the Gorman Group

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives are often introduced into organizations without research, social change frameworks, or involving people directly impacted by the initiatives. In the absence of a thoughtful theory of change, these initiatives may not support the intended outcomes, or worse, lead to adverse effects on social development and well-being. This research asserts that if we want to further the equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and mental health and well-being agendas, applied social sciences research is required to help bridge the gap between social research and social development. This project takes a transdisciplinary research approach alongside the Gorman Group, a forestry/wood product manufacturing (WPM) company operating four sites in British Columbia, Canada and one site in Oroville, Washington in the United States. This project will explore how EDI, psychological safety, and mental health can be co-produced alongside employees to shape meaningful social outputs, outcomes, and impacts.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jennifer Walinga

Student:

Partner:

Gorman Group

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Royal Roads University

Program: