The workshop started off as part of Kvinfo’s GenderLAB concept, which will be a part of CBS’ celebration of the International Women’s Day on March 8.

“On Friday 8, we developed a living laboratory where we tested new methods for creating solutions to current issues relating to diversity and inclusion,” says Rebekka Mahler, Project Manager at Kvinfo and continues:

“We asked participants to put on their norm-critical glasses and investigate whether we have norms that lie at the heart of the problems. It should work as a tool to create change and tear down the barriers that get in the way of new solutions.”

The long-team aim of GenderLAB is to create solutions to problems that need to be solved.

On March 8, Danish Defence, Roskilde Festival and CBS will deliver cases that the participants can find concrete solutions to. For example, Danish Defence wants more women to join. But how?

To come up with the best and most surprising solutions, it’s important for participants to be daring, says Jannick Friis Christensen.

“If we present the participants with the state of affairs and tell them how bad everything is, you feel powerless. And if you feel powerless, it’s difficult to be creative, and we need people to think utopian and seemingly impossible thoughts, because this is how we get out of the box, out of the normal,” he says.

Kvinfo is excited to have CBS on board, as the school can contribute a great deal to GenderLAB.

“There’s a lot of exciting research being carried out at CBS these days on what norm-criticism is and what barriers lie ahead when it comes to promoting equality. Also, CBS has access to case companies, as they work in a more case-based way than we do,” says Rebekka Mahler.

The theme for March 8 addresses gender diversity in the Danish labor market, and participants will be asked to change their view of the world and look inwards.

Campus Research