title: University of Waikato campus climate initial findings: Experiences of gender, sex, and sexuality diverse staff and students

authors: Brown, Juliana

abstract: Heterosexual and cisgender people have been considered the norm in universities worldwide, and in Aotearoa/New Zealand. In contrast, gender, sex, and sexuality diverse (GSSD) people are often treated as different, or not the norm. Overseas universities have been reviewing their campus 'climates' to understand the experiences of their GSSD students and staff. Research primarily from the U.S.A. shows that GSSD students at university campuses report higher rates of negative experiences (e.g. discrimination, assault) compared to heterosexual and cisgender students. As a result of these campus climate studies, universities have begun implementing initiatives to help make their campus spaces more welcoming for GSSD staff and students. Universities with more support and inclusion have a higher rate of retention, satisfaction, and academic success for GSSD people on campus.
There is limited research about campus climates in the Aotearoa/New Zealand context, including at the University of Waikato. As such, I wanted to gain an understanding of GSSD experiences on the University of Waikato campus, and to learn what (if any) initiatives GSSD people would like to see in the campus space. This report presents the initial findings of a campus climate survey that was conducted at the University of Waikato. 343 staff and students participated in the survey between the 3rd of September 2018 and 2nd of November 2018. Staff and students of any gender, sex, and sexuality who were 16 years or over were able to participate in this survey.
Overall, GSSD survey participants suggested that there were a number of opportunities for improvement at the University of Waikato. The following quote from a participant highlights a key theme that was evident throughout the survey analysis:
"I think that being treated like a person like anyone else would improve my experience."(Student)
A number of specific recommendations are given in this report based on survey participant responses, including initiatives that I intend to implement for the next stage of my PhD research.

text: University of Waikato campus climate initial findings: Experiences of gender, sex, and sexuality diverse staff and students Heterosexual and cisgender people have been considered the norm in universities worldwide, and in Aotearoa/New Zealand. In contrast, gender, sex, and sexuality diverse (GSSD) people are often treated as different, or not the norm. Overseas universities have been reviewing their campus 'climates' to understand the experiences of their GSSD students and staff. Research primarily from the U.S.A. shows that GSSD students at university campuses report higher rates of negative experiences (e.g. discrimination, assault) compared to heterosexual and cisgender students. As a result of these campus climate studies, universities have begun implementing initiatives to help make their campus spaces more welcoming for GSSD staff and students. Universities with more support and inclusion have a higher rate of retention, satisfaction, and academic success for GSSD people on campus.
There is limited research about campus climates in the Aotearoa/New Zealand context, including at the University of Waikato. As such, I wanted to gain an understanding of GSSD experiences on the University of Waikato campus, and to learn what (if any) initiatives GSSD people would like to see in the campus space. This report presents the initial findings of a campus climate survey that was conducted at the University of Waikato. 343 staff and students participated in the survey between the 3rd of September 2018 and 2nd of November 2018. Staff and students of any gender, sex, and sexuality who were 16 years or over were able to participate in this survey.
Overall, GSSD survey participants suggested that there were a number of opportunities for improvement at the University of Waikato. The following quote from a participant highlights a key theme that was evident throughout the survey analysis:
"I think that being treated like a person like anyone else would improve my experience."(Student)
A number of specific recommendations are given in this report based on survey participant responses, including initiatives that I intend to implement for the next stage of my PhD research.

year: 2020

title: Innovative work behaviour: The influence of multicultural identity, openness to experience and cultural intelligence

authors: Lim, Sean (Xue Han)

subjects: Innovative work behaviour

abstract: This research aims to conceptualise a response to global trends. The workforce is becoming more diverse and multicultural.  If an employee is not culturally competent, conflicts will happen. Cross-cultural misunderstandings will cost valuable time to resolve, which will result in lowered productivity. A fast-paced digital and technological workforce require constant innovation to survive. If an employee favours the status quo and does not implement new ideas, the organisation will fail to remain responsive to the demands of global consumers. 

This research study asserts that future successful employees will benefit from a multicultural identity because they possess a range of cognitive schemas, which allows them to think and express themselves from different perspectives. Multicultural individuals possess cultural intelligence, which allows them to collaborate sensitively and effectively with people from other ethnic backgrounds. Multicultural individuals are creative and proactive in implementing their ideas. Future successful employees will benefit from an openness to experience personality trait, which allows them to welcome new ways of conceptualising and doing things. Open-minded employees are likely to gain and share new knowledge from cross-cultural experiences.
The five constructs that are asserted to be crucial for the future of work are:

1) Social desirability testing

2) Multicultural identity

3) Openness to experience personality trait

4) Cultural intelligence

5) Innovative work behaviour

Drawing from anxiety and uncertainty management theory (AUM) and creative cognition approach, this study investigates the three constructs (multicultural identity, openness to experience, and cultural intelligence) on their contribution to innovative work behaviour. Students from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, participated in the research. This study selects participants on the basis that today’s students will be starting work in the next few years. These students will be the demographics of the future workforce. The decision to use students as population sample contrasts with previous research that favours participants who are presently working in organisations.
The participants filled up an online questionnaire, which consists of four validated measurement scales. Distinct from other research of this nature is the inclusion of the Marlowe-Crowne 13 question social desirability scale. The aim is to reduce social desirability responding, increase the validity and robustness of the data set.

Findings showed that respondents who self-report as multicultural and bicultural have significantly higher cultural intelligence and innovative work behaviour scores, as compared to respondents who self-report as monocultural. However, differences for openness to experience personality trait scores are not significant amongst these three groups. Findings showed that socially desirable responding affects scores on openness to experience personality trait, cultural intelligence, and innovative work behaviour. Openness to experience personality trait, cultural intelligence and innovative work behaviour positively correlate with one another.

Cultural intelligence mediates between openness to experience and innovative work behaviour.  Also, cultural intelligence mediates between multicultural identity and innovative work behaviour. This study also investigates the sub-facets that make up the overall openness to experience and cultural intelligence constructs and examine their relationship with innovative work behaviour. The ingenuity and curiosity sub-facets of openness to experience are essential predictors to innovative work behaviour. Also, the motivational and metacognitive sub-facets of cultural intelligence are significant predictors to innovative work behaviour.

The three practical implications of this research study are as follows:

1)      Human resource managers may benefit from hiring employees who are bicultural and multicultural because they can think using different cognitive schemas and see different perspectives. They are more likely to work well with people from other cultures and are more likely to be creative. Multicultural individuals are likely to minimise the occurrences of cross-cultural conflicts. These individuals are likely to facilitate knowledge sharing and boost innovation in the workplace.

2)      Human resource managers may benefit from selecting staff based on their openness to experience, cultural intelligence, and innovative work behaviour scores. This study hypothesises that employees who score higher on openness to experience may be able to welcome and immerse themselves in multicultural experiences, which may allow them to become more culturally intelligent. Openness to experience is a stable personality trait and are less likely to change over time. Monocultural employees, who score higher on the openness to experience personality trait are more likely to benefit from exposure to different cultures and cultural intelligence training. Employees who are higher on cultural intelligence scores are more likely to work effectively with colleagues from other cultural backgrounds. They may be more adept at learning, sharing knowledge, adopting good work practices that are tried-and-tested in other countries. Employees who have higher innovative work behaviour scores may be more likely to exhibit behaviours in the workplace such as brainstorming and creating new products and process, which is likely to result in the innovative output of an organisation and give it a competitive advantage.

3)      Human resource managers will benefit from using the Marlowe-Crowne Scale when screening prospective employees. Personality tests are used frequently in hiring processes, but they are susceptible to social desirability responding. The Marlowe-Crowne should not be used solely as a hiring tool, but prompt further questions during interviews or reference checks. The minimisation of social desirability responding is likely to improve the integrity of hiring processes, especially in organisations which have strong diversity and inclusion policies for staff to champion and be on board.

The limitation of this research study is its subjective self-report nature and cross-sectional design. This study has made efforts to reduce social desirability bias through the Marlowe Crowne scale. Also, it attempts to reduce common method bias by using different Likert-scale ranges for responses. Existing criticism of the cultural intelligence construct is its lack of an objective measure. There is new research that investigates biological and physiological correlates of the openness to experience personality trait, such as scans of functional connectivity in the brain, and heart rate. For future research, this study proposes the exploration of objective biological and physiological measures and its relationship to cultural intelligence and innovation.

This research study will contribute to cross-cultural, personality, diversity-inclusion, and innovation literature. There is existing literature that looks at the relationship between two constructs in-depth, but none as broad a scope as this current study, as it attempts to generalise a response to global trends.  This study will provide the foundation for future exciting research.

text: Innovative work behaviour: The influence of multicultural identity, openness to experience and cultural intelligence This research aims to conceptualise a response to global trends. The workforce is becoming more diverse and multicultural.  If an employee is not culturally competent, conflicts will happen. Cross-cultural misunderstandings will cost valuable time to resolve, which will result in lowered productivity. A fast-paced digital and technological workforce require constant innovation to survive. If an employee favours the status quo and does not implement new ideas, the organisation will fail to remain responsive to the demands of global consumers. 

This research study asserts that future successful employees will benefit from a multicultural identity because they possess a range of cognitive schemas, which allows them to think and express themselves from different perspectives. Multicultural individuals possess cultural intelligence, which allows them to collaborate sensitively and effectively with people from other ethnic backgrounds. Multicultural individuals are creative and proactive in implementing their ideas. Future successful employees will benefit from an openness to experience personality trait, which allows them to welcome new ways of conceptualising and doing things. Open-minded employees are likely to gain and share new knowledge from cross-cultural experiences.
The five constructs that are asserted to be crucial for the future of work are:

1) Social desirability testing

2) Multicultural identity

3) Openness to experience personality trait

4) Cultural intelligence

5) Innovative work behaviour

Drawing from anxiety and uncertainty management theory (AUM) and creative cognition approach, this study investigates the three constructs (multicultural identity, openness to experience, and cultural intelligence) on their contribution to innovative work behaviour. Students from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, participated in the research. This study selects participants on the basis that today’s students will be starting work in the next few years. These students will be the demographics of the future workforce. The decision to use students as population sample contrasts with previous research that favours participants who are presently working in organisations.
The participants filled up an online questionnaire, which consists of four validated measurement scales. Distinct from other research of this nature is the inclusion of the Marlowe-Crowne 13 question social desirability scale. The aim is to reduce social desirability responding, increase the validity and robustness of the data set.

Findings showed that respondents who self-report as multicultural and bicultural have significantly higher cultural intelligence and innovative work behaviour scores, as compared to respondents who self-report as monocultural. However, differences for openness to experience personality trait scores are not significant amongst these three groups. Findings showed that socially desirable responding affects scores on openness to experience personality trait, cultural intelligence, and innovative work behaviour. Openness to experience personality trait, cultural intelligence and innovative work behaviour positively correlate with one another.

Cultural intelligence mediates between openness to experience and innovative work behaviour.  Also, cultural intelligence mediates between multicultural identity and innovative work behaviour. This study also investigates the sub-facets that make up the overall openness to experience and cultural intelligence constructs and examine their relationship with innovative work behaviour. The ingenuity and curiosity sub-facets of openness to experience are essential predictors to innovative work behaviour. Also, the motivational and metacognitive sub-facets of cultural intelligence are significant predictors to innovative work behaviour.

The three practical implications of this research study are as follows:

1)      Human resource managers may benefit from hiring employees who are bicultural and multicultural because they can think using different cognitive schemas and see different perspectives. They are more likely to work well with people from other cultures and are more likely to be creative. Multicultural individuals are likely to minimise the occurrences of cross-cultural conflicts. These individuals are likely to facilitate knowledge sharing and boost innovation in the workplace.

2)      Human resource managers may benefit from selecting staff based on their openness to experience, cultural intelligence, and innovative work behaviour scores. This study hypothesises that employees who score higher on openness to experience may be able to welcome and immerse themselves in multicultural experiences, which may allow them to become more culturally intelligent. Openness to experience is a stable personality trait and are less likely to change over time. Monocultural employees, who score higher on the openness to experience personality trait are more likely to benefit from exposure to different cultures and cultural intelligence training. Employees who are higher on cultural intelligence scores are more likely to work effectively with colleagues from other cultural backgrounds. They may be more adept at learning, sharing knowledge, adopting good work practices that are tried-and-tested in other countries. Employees who have higher innovative work behaviour scores may be more likely to exhibit behaviours in the workplace such as brainstorming and creating new products and process, which is likely to result in the innovative output of an organisation and give it a competitive advantage.

3)      Human resource managers will benefit from using the Marlowe-Crowne Scale when screening prospective employees. Personality tests are used frequently in hiring processes, but they are susceptible to social desirability responding. The Marlowe-Crowne should not be used solely as a hiring tool, but prompt further questions during interviews or reference checks. The minimisation of social desirability responding is likely to improve the integrity of hiring processes, especially in organisations which have strong diversity and inclusion policies for staff to champion and be on board.

The limitation of this research study is its subjective self-report nature and cross-sectional design. This study has made efforts to reduce social desirability bias through the Marlowe Crowne scale. Also, it attempts to reduce common method bias by using different Likert-scale ranges for responses. Existing criticism of the cultural intelligence construct is its lack of an objective measure. There is new research that investigates biological and physiological correlates of the openness to experience personality trait, such as scans of functional connectivity in the brain, and heart rate. For future research, this study proposes the exploration of objective biological and physiological measures and its relationship to cultural intelligence and innovation.

This research study will contribute to cross-cultural, personality, diversity-inclusion, and innovation literature. There is existing literature that looks at the relationship between two constructs in-depth, but none as broad a scope as this current study, as it attempts to generalise a response to global trends.  This study will provide the foundation for future exciting research.

year: 2019

title: Guidelines for gender affirming healthcare for gender diverse and transgender children, young people and adults in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Oliphant, Jeannie

abstract: Internationally and within New Zealand there has been a substantial increase in the demand for gender affirming healthcare over the past decade. The Youth’12 secondary school survey, estimated that approximately 1.2% of adolescents in New Zealand identify as transgender.¹ It is likely that this level of referrals to health services will continue in the foreseeable future. 
This guideline has been developed following the recognition that New Zealand’s previous good practice guide, Gender Reassignment Health Services for Trans People within New Zealand,² which was based heavily on the World Professional Association of Transgender Health, Standards of Care, version 6 (WPATH SOC v6),³ requires updating to be in step with current practice and international guidelines.
Transgender healthcare is a rapidly evolving area of medicine. WPATH is the international body responsible for producing standards of care. WPATH SOC v7,⁴ was published soon after New Zealand’s good practice guide and version 8 is currently in development. This guideline is not intended to replace the WPATH SOC but to present additional guidance for the provision of gender affirming healthcare in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We hope that this guide will be used to support the development of health services providing gender affirming healthcare around the country and provide guidance to District Health Boards (DHBs).
We use Sir Mason Durie’s health framework to inform the kaupapa or approach of these guidelines. WPATH SOC v7 encourages culturally appropriate approaches which are contextually based.⁴ Durie’s model for health promotion development, Te Pae Māhutonga (the Southern Cross), has two guiding principles which correspond to the pointer stars of the constellation, Te Mana Whakahaere and Ngā Manukura.⁵

text: Guidelines for gender affirming healthcare for gender diverse and transgender children, young people and adults in Aotearoa New Zealand Internationally and within New Zealand there has been a substantial increase in the demand for gender affirming healthcare over the past decade. The Youth’12 secondary school survey, estimated that approximately 1.2% of adolescents in New Zealand identify as transgender.¹ It is likely that this level of referrals to health services will continue in the foreseeable future. 
This guideline has been developed following the recognition that New Zealand’s previous good practice guide, Gender Reassignment Health Services for Trans People within New Zealand,² which was based heavily on the World Professional Association of Transgender Health, Standards of Care, version 6 (WPATH SOC v6),³ requires updating to be in step with current practice and international guidelines.
Transgender healthcare is a rapidly evolving area of medicine. WPATH is the international body responsible for producing standards of care. WPATH SOC v7,⁴ was published soon after New Zealand’s good practice guide and version 8 is currently in development. This guideline is not intended to replace the WPATH SOC but to present additional guidance for the provision of gender affirming healthcare in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We hope that this guide will be used to support the development of health services providing gender affirming healthcare around the country and provide guidance to District Health Boards (DHBs).
We use Sir Mason Durie’s health framework to inform the kaupapa or approach of these guidelines. WPATH SOC v7 encourages culturally appropriate approaches which are contextually based.⁴ Durie’s model for health promotion development, Te Pae Māhutonga (the Southern Cross), has two guiding principles which correspond to the pointer stars of the constellation, Te Mana Whakahaere and Ngā Manukura.⁵

year: 2018