Indigenous Engagement in Canadian Organizations: Building a Culture of Inclusion and Belonging for Indigenous Employees

This dissertation explores how Canadian for-profit, non-Indigenous organizations may promote cultures of inclusion and belonging for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis employees. Grounded in social constructionism, the study followed an action-oriented, qualitative approach, engaging Indigenous employees and organizational leaders through interviews and focus groups. The findings reveal that current diversity, equity, and inclusion frameworks are insufficient for addressing the unique histories and rights of Indigenous Peoples. Instead, organizations must move beyond performative reconciliation toward relational accountability, decolonizing systems, and integrating Indigenous worldviews into organizational structures. The study presents a model for understanding the path organizations may take to move from performative to transformative actions as well as a decolonization audit cycle to guide organizations in shifting from transactional to relational practices. This work contributes to both scholarship and practice by offering pathways for organizations to engage ethically, advance reconciliation, and support Indigenous sovereignty within the Canadian workplace.

Author dc:creator

• Bade, Nikki

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Agger-Gupta, Niels

• College of interdisciplinary studies

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-20934

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:null:10613/29404