Companies interested in gaining software quality through collaboration maximize the talents of their female software developers, testers, business analysts and quality assurance staff. Although women’s participation is on the rise in many fields, including some of the traditionally male-dominated ones such as accounting and medicine, the percentage and number of women in the IT field is actually declining. The Computing Research Association reports fewer computing degrees awarded to women in 2004 than in 2000. Numerous academic and industry studies have documented that high exit rates for women from the IT arena contributes to an inability to fill roughly 500,000 information technology jobs nationally. With more than 50% of the current U.S. science, technology, and engineering workforce approaching retirement age, organizations must examine strategies to address the workplace conditions that attract capable women and men, and increase the likelihood of their continued employment.
Catalyst, a leading research and advisory organization, works globally with businesses to expand opportunities for women and business. In their 2007 landmark study on Women in IT, Catalyst examined drivers of satisfaction, retention, and advancement among women in technology. Learn to leverage these six drivers to recruit and retain talented women for your software development projects through an interactive discussion exploring which drivers make the most sense for your organization.
Sharon Buckmaster, Ph.D. and Diana Larsen are the principals of Futureworks Consulting, a firm specializing in bringing collaborative processes to organizations that want more productive, resilient workplaces. Both Sharon and Diana have many years of experience developing the generative capacities of individuals and teams that lead to higher quality products and services as well as a higher quality of organizational life.
Diana is known in the software industry for conducting project retrospectives and transitioning groups to Agile processes. She currently chairs the board of the Agile Alliance. Her publications include Agile Retrospectives, Making Good Teams Great, coauthored with Esther Derby. She consults and speaks internationally.
Sharon Buckmaster is a Ph.D. with expertise in executive leadership and gender-equity issues in organizations. Her research has focused primarily on women in leadership roles. She is the founder and past president of The Women’s Center for Applied Leadership and is affiliated with the Center for Gender in Organizations at Simmons College. Sharon teaches in the Masters-level Applied Information Management Program at the University of Oregon and coaches executives and upper level managers.
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