Indigenous Workways aims to develop organizational tools and cultures that will empower Ontario’s Indigenous youth in their current and prospective careers. We seek to identify and build on Indigenous employees' positive experiences with interpersonal and organizational trust. We are a collaborative research effort among scholars and Indigenous education centres across four recognized Southwest Ontario institutions—University of Waterloo, University of Windsor, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Conestoga College.
Our goal is to develop a sustainable solution to underemployment among Ontario’s Indigenous workforce by empowering Indigenous youth with career mentors and opportunities, and Ontario's employers with relational, respectful, reciprocal, and relevant workplace communication and climate practices where Indigenous worldviews can flourish.
Wendi leads the Interpersonal Trust research theme that focuses on building trusting workplace relationships through holistic communication and conflict management. Students have examined relational conversations, conflict management preferences, and Indigenous employees’ experiences with identity, communication, place, and space using both Western and Indigenous methodologies.
Please visit the Indigenous Workways website for more information.
We have engaged in conversation with practitioners, community members, and academics on issues facing Indigenous youth in the workplace at a Roundtable at the 2015 Canadian Psychological Association, a 2016 two-day Knowledge Sharing event at Vancouver Island University – Cowichan Campus (funded by a SSHRC Connections Grant), and a presentation at the 2016 CANDO (Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers) Annual meetings.
Currently, we are working with Indigenous Education Centres at four Southwest Ontario post-secondary institutions to create opportunities for Indigenous alumni and students to share their stories about work.