Report by Anita Borg Institute Highlights Issues and Potential Solutions for Hiring and Advancing Technical Women As Discussed at Executive Forum Held at Grace Hopper Celebration
PALO ALTO, Calif. — March 22, 2010—A prevailing attitude in high-tech companies, characterized by a “hero culture,” is limiting organizations’ ability to hire and retain talent for a diversity of skills needed for organizational success. This and other issues pertaining to the culture of technology organizations is highlighted in a report issued by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI). The report, The Recruitment, Retention and Advancement of Technical Women: Breaking Barriers to Cultural Change in Corporations, summarizes key topics discussed at ABI’s Technical Executive Forum, part of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference held in October 2009.
The annual Technical Executive Forum brought together more than 59 technology executives from 31 industry-leading organizations and universities to raise awareness, actively engage discussion, and drive action on issues regarding the recruitment, retention, and advancement of technical women.
Although forum participants acknowledged that the pipeline of women graduating with technical degrees was insufficient, those who do graduate are not always joining organizations that are receptive to diversity. This cultural disconnect was highlighted through discussions of:
- The existing technical culture tends to reward “hero” behavior and an “in your face” communication style.
- Recruiting and advancement practices are not always adopted to diverse backgrounds
- The individual contributor track lacks a development culture. The existing reward structures built around the high-tech culture do not encourage rapid change around this issue.
Solutions for Cultural Change
The forum discussed possible solutions for cultural change, to address the challenges and issues associated with encouraging diversity:
- Reshaping what is considered “valuable work”
- Changes in recruitment practices
- Changing advancement practices
- Consider modifying the technical ladder
The full report, Breaking the Barriers to Cultural Change in Corporations, summarizes the insights, strategies, and solutions that may help an organization’s behavior to support women in technology and leadership roles.
The 2010 Technical Executive Forum will be held at the 2010 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Atlanta, Georgia, and will focus on solutions and barriers to implementation.
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About the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI)
The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. ABI programs serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. ABI Partners include: Google, Microsoft, HP, Cisco, First Republic Bank, Intel, National Science Foundation, NetApp, SAP, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Thomson Reuters, CA, Intuit, Wilson Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, Yahoo, Amazon, Facebook, and Raytheon. For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org.
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