In 2017 I pursued a +Acumen course in Systems Practice, a technique used to tackle “intractable” problems such as poverty, peace, and hunger. Convinced that gender equality is among those recalcitrant issues, I focused my certification project on the low representation of women in leadership roles in tech.
The result is my systems map of the Factors Accounting for the Low Representation of Women in Leadership Positions in Tech Companies, which explores the dynamic “forces” that make this problem worse and also those that mitigate it. The systems map identifies 11 crucial forces that worsen/alleviate this problem.
You can also access a short interactive presentation that describes each loop in the systems map. See below a preview of the vicious circle for Factor #6 Imitating male behaviors doesn’t pay off.
I’m very interested in this methodology as a visual aid to explain the complexity of the problem as well as the need for a multipronged approach to tackle it (i.e. no magic bullet, unfortunately).
Does this systems map resonate with you? What surprises you? What would you challenge? What do you think is missing?
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I would move to learn more about it. In my experience two things add on top. 1. there are less women with a tech degree to choose from than there are men. 2. women with no tech degree are not considered for a leadership position as techies/ engineers think their discipline as superior and mandatory for a leadership position
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I would suggest how tech is portrayed is also a factor in low leadership as it is assumed that deep understanding and practical is required.
That is not the case in many other fields and this is about more creating leaders with the ability to question with authority. The lack of empowerment towards creating that muscle of authority in technology can be a challenge for inclusion.