30/07/2024

Women in Tech initiative: Empowerment equals success

Blog article

Author: Sanja Božičević

Women in Tech initiative, organised by IBM iX, is a networking event series highlighting the collaborative power of women in IT and the vital role that diversity plays in the industry. The program includes lectures, panel discussions, and hands-on workshops with topics covering the challenges women in IT face, how to overcome them, and ultimately provide inspiration to event participants.

IBM iX Women in Tech – an inspiring initiative for greater visibility of women in IT

Continuous engagement to promote gender equality is one of the foundations of our company’s business. In the wake of the AI revolution, an increase in female leadership will significantly affect the success and future of technology. IBM’s study on Female Leadership in the Age of AI shows that 73% of business leaders believe that increased female leadership in the sector is important for mitigating gender bias in AI, while 74% see it as important for ensuring that the economic benefits of the technology are equally felt.

Driving change and building connections

The AI revolution marks a watershed moment for female leaders. It is an opportunity for women to take a pivotal leadership role in a technological revolution and shape the future of our business and economic landscape. We are here to support it.

The Women in Tech initiative was formed to provide inspiration, enable career growth, and develop a community of support and empowerment for women across all disciplines, technical depth, and career maturity. In this networking event series, women of IBM iX and IBM Consulting join fellow cross-company colleagues on the stage to share their personal stories and experiences and give insights to enable the peer-connected community of participants to develop and showcase the skills, eminence, and growth mindset needed in technology leaders and the world today.

Since November last year, the initiative travelled across borders and took place at IBM iX studios in Dusseldorf, Vienna, and Zagreb, opening doors for women and male allies of the technology sector, building connections, and driving change.

Be bold, be visible

The IBM study finds female leaders display a more holistic view of leadership, viewing interpersonal skills and commitment to ethical and fair deployment as more important qualities of a leader. However, when asked whether respondents were confident in their business leadership abilities in the age of AI, 61% of male respondents strongly agree compared with just 46% of female respondents. This confidence gap needs addressing. Even though female leaders display a keen proactivity in improving their skills and knowledge for the future of AI deployment, additional support is requested for more opportunities to experience AI in action and cross-industry networking events to share knowledge from both male and female participants.

One of the organisers and drivers of the initiative, Aslihan Yilmaz, Design Director and Account Partner at IBM Consulting reflected on the empowering first Women in Tech event held in IBM iX Studio Dusseldorf: “We hosted an incredible group of women and male allies from 17 different companies. During our panel talk we touched on a crucial topic: why is it important to talk about women in tech? It quickly became clear that every woman in the room had her own challenging experiences – being labelled too soft, too blond, too empathetic, too pregnant, or just a quota filler.”

Promisingly, she continues: “The tech field is gradually seeing more women, especially in leadership roles, which is fantastic. However, the journey is far from over. The talent pipeline for women, in all levels from mid to leadership, is still lacking.”

To inspire women to gain confidence, to be more visible, and to take the leap towards leadership roles, women leaders are taking the stage. Women in Tech is one of these platforms, providing a safe environment to speak about often silent topics, motivation, and support within the tech community.

Tanja Waldeck, IBM iX DACH Lead, who took the stage in Dusseldorf for a panel discussion “Avoiding bias in AI and shaping inclusive future”, advised everyone to always speak up. “Be open-minded, reflect on what you and others do and don’t accept the unacceptable. If you see something, speak up. Sometimes we shy away from situations, as it might seem it is easier to let go. Don’t accept it, address it. If every one of us would step up, it will be a big step forward.”, says Tanja Waldeck who is in the leadership role for a team of 1200 individuals across Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Croatia.

Breaking barriers

Today, IBM iX studios across the region count up to 42% of women employees – Developers, Scrum Masters, Business consultants, Experience Designers, Product Owners and other roles. Many leading their departments and are on their way to future leadership roles.

In tackling unconscious bias, support can be also shown in various forms from allyship to awareness of intersectionality. Markus Dietrich, IBM iX CEO, as a male ally, joined the panel discussion in Dusseldorf and expressed how men can better support and advocate for their female colleagues: “The first one is to create a safe environment. Men can help to create a safe work environment and eliminate any possible forms of mistreatment. The second point is a shared responsibility. Men can support and share responsibility, especially when it comes to unpaid jobs like taking care of children, the elderly, or sick family members. This work is still often done by women. There is still a lot to do here.”.

He continues: “Inclusive leadership means incorporating individuals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities. Creativity and innovation from different viewpoints generate new ideas and solutions. A wide range of perspectives and accepting various points of view lead to more well-informed and balanced decisions. This is my ambition and the reason why I am proud to lead our diverse teams across IBM iX DACH and Croatia!”.

Collage mit IBM iX leadership: Tanja Waldeck, Daniel Simon, Christina Schiffler, Dominik Multhaup, Markus Dietrich, Sanja Bozicevic, Jens Sulek, Elke Röttgen

“Learn how we embrace equity at IBM iX”

Learning and leading with AI

In addition to insightful keynotes and lively panel discussions, the event series includes breakout sessions with actionable takeaways on celebrating achievements, establishing a work-life balance, speaking up, and other practical workshops providing additional motivation to become bolder, more visible, and an inspiration to others.

One of the most notable workshops, presented at the Women in Tech event in Vienna, was the practical workshop on generative AI. Trained on massive datasets of text and code, AI systems can reflect and amplify societal biases, including gender stereotypes. This can lead to AI outputs that are unfair or discriminatory towards certain groups, that is why we at IBM iX help people and organizations adopt AI responsibly. Only by incorporating ethical principles into AI applications and processes can we build trust-based systems.

One of several ways to mitigate gender bias in AI is to understand it and review it. Women in Tech generative AI workshop provides practical knowledge on interacting with Large Language Models and crafting effective and gender-neutral prompts – supporting skills development and offering a hands-on experience to gain the necessary tools to cross gender barriers.

Building a support network for Women in Tech

Female leaders who stepped on the Women in Tech stage emphasized the importance of mentorships. Mentors provide guidance and support, help us navigate challenging situations, offer valuable insights, and share their experiences, helping us avoid common pitfalls and learn from their successes and failures. It’s essential to find a mentor who is a good fit for you and your goals and to be open and receptive to their guidance and support. Also, different areas can call for other mentors.

Women who join professional networking groups are twice as likely to reach senior leadership roles and 2.5 times more likely to be satisfied with their career progression. The IBM iX Women in Tech series creates an intimate atmosphere where women can openly share their experiences in a smaller group and discuss topics of challenges, statistics, and stereotypes women in tech face while supporting one another to leave their comfort zones and find inspiration from other successful women from the industry.

IBM iX Women in Tech Community – powered by IBM

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The journey continues

Each Women in Tech event received resounding feedback from the participants:

“Despite being an introvert, I found this event to be energizing rather than draining— a rare and welcome experience.”
“Having attended this event for the third time, I’m impressed by its continuous improvement. Each time, I leave with invaluable insights that benefit my professional and personal growth.”
“Our company previously lacked a women’s tech community. Inspired by this event, we’ve successfully launched our own, fostering much-needed inclusivity.”
“While many companies discuss Women in Tech and diversity, IBM iX stands out by including me and equipping me with the tools and network necessary to thrive professionally.”
“Motivated by the event, the first action I took was securing a mentor within my company, a step towards further personal and professional development.”

As we progress in our mission to promote diversity and inclusion in the tech sector, we are committed to sharing regular updates and announcing upcoming events in Hamburg and Berlin that will further empower women and male allies. Stay tuned about our initiative and join us in our efforts to drive meaningful change and foster a more inclusive and equitable industry.