Women in IT: Is Gender Diversity Mutually Beneficial in the Tech Industry?

women_in_IT
⏱ Reading Time: 5 minutes

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, believes there are not enough women in the tech industry and said in an interview for BBC that there are no excuses for it (Kleinman, 2022). In 2019, the technology sector had a 37% female representation, but unfortunately, only 24% of senior leadership roles were held by women (Women in Technology International, 2019). The demand for skilled labour is growing in the technology sector, but the industry remains predominantly male. Does gender diversity in the IT workforce matter? Gender diversity not only matters, but it is also essential. More than social justice, it is an intelligent business strategy that can benefit companies. The presence of women in the IT workforce can bring a unique perspective to the team about the client’s challenges and needs based on their experiences and ideas, which can result in more creativity and innovation. Additionally, improvements in collaboration and communication could be observed when diversity is promoted, which can contribute to improving business outcomes through collaboration and discussion. Equally important, promoting diversity can help improve the environmental workplace and employee morale by retaining top talents and enhancing the company’s reputation.

The women can bring a unique perspective to the company and the environmental workplace through their life experiences, values and ways of dealing with challenges. Studies reveal that work groups’ differences, such as age, gender, race and social attributes, shape their views on specific topics and are influenced by their experiences (Dezso & Ross, 2012). There has yet to be an agreement about increasing productivity through gender diversity. However, gender diversity can create a dynamic that promotes solutions, especially in uncertain situations, which include those that lead to disruptive innovations (Díaz-García et al., 2013; Gomez & Bernet, 2019; Foma, E., 2014). Evidence indicates that the presence of women and their unique perspectives about the facts in the workplace can contribute to positive outcomes for companies. A 2016 survey revealed that companies with more women in leadership tend to perform better financially. The study surveyed over 20,000 companies in 91 countries(Noland et al., 2000), indicating that diversity can positively impact a company’s results. Diverse teams generate more innovative ideas but need help deciding which to pursue (Chamorro-Premuzic, 2017). This is a common augment used to refute that diversity can improve outcomes. However, still, it is a problem more related to management and decision-making than diversity; the same problem could happen to a group of men who only differ in their minds. The women’s presence in the team positively impacts the squad results or decisions are unanimous opinions.

Additionally, the women give more dynamism to the relationship of the group and with clients, improving communication and collaboration. Diversity is beneficial for promoting creativity, innovation, and advanced problem-solving. Interacting with people from different backgrounds, experiences, networks, education, and expertise can lead to constructive disagreements and discussions. (International Labour Organization – ILO, 2018). Recent research shows that groups with women have significantly increased collaboration in processes that require collective intelligence (Woolley et al., 2010), which can drive innovation in today’s rapidly advancing business world (ILO, 2018). When we have a highly qualified engineering team, it is not unusual to have some members more reflective; it is expected, especially in the software development teams, so this could reinforce the necessity of having a plural squad, not just in characteristics but gender. Furthermore, there is evidence that gender diversity in the workplace can improve communication between organizations and clients. (Foma, E., 2014; ILO, 2018), A diverse workforce in terms of culture, ethnicity, and background can significantly enhance the ability to understand and cater to customers’ needs. This can result in delivering exceptional services that meet and even exceed clients’ expectations. By fostering a work environment that values diversity and inclusion, companies amplify the range of perspectives and experiences, enjoying innovative ideas and solutions and greater customer satisfaction. Workforce diversity is crucial to the success of corporations in today’s competitive business landscape. (Wentling & Palma-Rivas, 2000; International et al.; ILO, 2018). Having women in the squad positively influences the team’s dynamics and communication and improves communication with clients, predominantly female customers.

Finally, companies with gender equality and diversity have better work environments, retain talent and improve the company’s reputation. Companies that promote diversity have an advantage competitively by hiring the most qualified individuals, irrespective of ethnicity, age, gender, or other personal attributes (Bartz et al., 1990). Moreover, creating a harmonious workplace with equal treatment and opportunities can result in mutual benefits. It increases the satisfaction and happiness of the employees and can provide better business and a positive reputation for your brand. This attracts like-minded individuals to work and partner with you (The National Association of Women Business Owners – NAWBO, n.d.; Business & Human Rights Navigator, 2022; ILO, 2018). In companies like the tech industry, where there is a need to invest much money to retain their talents, a respectful environment, pluralism, and collaboration are essential for team satisfaction and to promote team spirit to achieve the company’s primary targets. Recently, researchers showed that gender diversity could positively impact the reputation of companies and that promoting diversity can lead to corporate success. (NAWBO, n.d.; Wilton et al., 2018) Gender equality is a crucial tool to improve the harmony and well-being of the team, promoting satisfaction and retaining talent. As a result, the culture crosses the company’s borders and attracts new talent.

Nowadays, in the corporate market, women have played a crucial role in developing new ways to solve problems and face challenges, particularly bringing a unique and valuable perspective to the table that can spark new ideas and drive innovation. In addition, they encourage teamwork and open communication, improving team performance and customer engagement. Moreover, cultivating a respectful workplace that embraces diversity increases employee morale and pride, enhances the company’s reputation, and attracts top talent. Tech companies have had to face a massive shortage of human resources in recent years, and women can aggregate much more than technical skills into the squad; in head positions, women can promote innovation and improve communication, as an engineer can find new solutions and facilitate deep discussions with the team members and for the business, the studies proved the improvements of the outcomes. After carrying out this study, it is impossible not to reaffirm that women in the tech industry are much more than social justice. It is an intelligent business strategy that can benefit companies, customers and society.

 


References

 

Bartz, D. E., Hillman, L. W., Lehrer, S., & Mayhugh, G. M. (1990). A Model for Managing Workforce Diversity. Management Education and Development, 21(4), 321–326. https://doi.org/10.1177/135050769002100406

Business & Human Rights Navigator. (2022, March 2). Gender Equality Business & Human Rights Navigator. https://bhrnavigator.unglobalcompact.org/issues/gender-equality/

Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2017). Does Diversity Increase Creativity? Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2017/06/does-diversity-actually-increase-creativity?regis-tration=success

Dezso, C. L., & Ross, D. (2012). Does female representation in top management improve firm performance? A panel data investigation. Strategic Management Journal, 33(9),

1072–1089. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.1955
Díaz-García, C., González-Moreno, Á., & Sáez-Martínez, F. J. (2013). Gender diversity within R&D teams: Its impact on radicalness of innovation. Innovation-management Policy & Practice, 15(2), 149–160. https://doi.org/10.5172/impp.2013.15.2.149

The National Association of Women Business Owners – NAWBO (n.d). Five Huge Benefits of Gender Equality in Your Business. https://www.nawbo.org/resources/nawbo-one/

2016/august/five-huge-benefits-gender-equality-your-business
Foma, E. (2014). Impact of workplace diversity. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 3(1), 382. https://buscompress.com/uploads/3/4/9/8/34980536/riber_sk14-026__402-410_.pdf

Gomez, L., & Bernet, P. M. (2019). Diversity improves performance and outcomes. Journal of the National Medical Association, 111(4), 383–392. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.jnma.2019.01.006

International Labour Organization – ILO (2018): Does gender diversity improve firm performance? Evidence from India. https://www.ilo.org/asia/publications/WCMS_616213/ lang–en/index.htm

Noland M., & Moran T., & Kotschwar B. (2016). Is Gender Diversity Profitable? Evidence from a Global Survey. PIIE. https://www.piie.com/publications/working-papers/gen- der-diversity-profitable-evidence-global-survey

Kleinman Z. (2022, September 27) Tim Cook: “No good excuse” for lack of women in tech. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63033078

Wentling, R. M., & Palma-Rivas, N. (2000). Current status of diversity initiatives in selected multinational corporations. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 11(1), 35–60. https://doi.org/10.1002/1532-1096(200021)11:1<35::AID-HRDQ4>3.0.CO;2-%23

Wilton, L. S., Sanchez, D. T., Unzueta, M. M., Kaiser, C., & Caluori, N. (2019). In good company: When gender diversity boosts a company’s reputation. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(1), 59-72. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/ 10.1177/0361684318800264

Women in Technology International (WITI) – Research Center. (2019). 2019 Women in Tech: The Future of Work, Inclusion, Diversity and Human-Based Computing. https://witi.- com/researchcenter/

Woolley, A. W., Chabris, C. F., Pentland, A., Hashmi, N., & Malone, T. W. (2010). Evidence for a Collective Intelligence Factor in the Performance of Human Groups. Science, 330(6004), 686–688. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1193147