Natalie Moore

Topic

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Implementation of Leadership and Indigenous Relations Competencies for Leadership Competitions at the BC Office of the Auditor General

School of Public Administration

Date & location

• Thursday, January 11, 2024
• 3:00 P.M.
• Virtual Defence

Examining Committee

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Tara Ney, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria (Supervisor)
• Dr. Barton Cunningham, School of Public Administration, UVic (Member)

External Examiner

• Dr. Erik de Vries, GC and Public Sector Skills, Canada School of Public Service

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Claire Cutler, Department of Political Science, UVic

Abstract

The BC Public Service is working towards improving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The BC Office of the Auditor General (BC OAG) is also making commitments to improve DEI in the organization. The purpose of this thesis is to assist with these improvements, focusing on how DEI can be better incorporated into hiring practices for leaders at the BC OAG. Specifically, this thesis is seeking to determine how the BC OAG implements competencies in leadership competitions in a way that aligns with these DEI commitments. To assess this, the researcher undertook a qualitative mixed methods research approach, consisting of a cross-jurisdictional scan of Canadian audit offices, structured interviews with BC OAG staff members who had been panelists on leadership competitions, and a document review of leadership competition files. From the cross-jurisdictional scan, the key finding is that Canadian audit offices value and plan around DEI quite differently from one another. The key finding from the structured interviews is that DEI is not a requirement in competency implementation at the BC OAG, nor is it a requirement for panelists to utilize a DEI lens in their role on leadership panels. The key finding from the document review is that the competencies the BC OAG utilizes in leadership competitions have the potential to incorporate DEI, but this incorporation is inconsistent. From these findings, an option was presented to the BC OAG to develop its own explicit DEI competency that is tested for in every leadership competition.