Women in Technology Leadership Round Table Spring 2018...

1

WomeninTechnologyLeadershipRoundTable

Spring2018EventSummary

Spring2018RoundTableAttendees

OVERVIEW OnJune8,leadersfromthetechindustry,academia,andnonprofitsectorconvenedatUCBerkeleyforthesixthsemi-annualWomeninTechnology(WiT)LeadershipRoundTable.The discussion continued to focus on advancing the adoption of standardized andmeaningfuldiversitymetricsby companies.This ispartof anongoingeffort topersuadeorganizationsto“facethedata”regardingthelackofdiversity,athemethatemergedfromthe inaugural Round Table event in Fall 2015. Previous reports summarizedrecommendations for metrics to monitor and track progress: 2016 Reports and 2017Reports.The day began with WITI@UC co-founders Tsu-Jae King Liu, Dean of the College ofEngineering at UC Berkeley, and Camille Crittenden, Deputy Director of CITRIS and theBanataoInstitute,sharingthemissionandgoalsoftheinitiative.

2

Mission-Weaimtoincreasethepersistenceandsuccessofwomenintechnicalfieldsinindustry,academia,andthepublicsector.Goals-Equitableparticipationofwomenasbenchmarkedagainsttheparticipationofmeninthetechindustry:

• Careerlongevity• Careerprogression:attainmentofseniorleadershippositions• Careerpathways-strengtheningthe“pipeline”forwomentoserveintechnological

rolesandachieveleadershippositions• Careerrecognition-equalcompensationandadvancementopportunities;awards;

corporateandeditorialboardseatsThe June 2018 agenda followed up on the two recommendations from previous RoundTables:Encouraginggroupstocollectandtrackmetricsregardingwomenintechnology;andencouragingwomentobeboldandtelltheirstories.The2017RoundTablereachedconsensusonaminimumsetofmetricsandchartedacourseofactiontofacilitatethebroadadoptiontomovetowardsagoalof25%representationofwomenintheU.S.technicalworkforcebytheyear2025.Thiseffortisaresultofthemembersrecognizingtheneedforincreasedawarenessofissuesandbestpracticesinadditiontotheadoptionofmeaningfuldiversitymetrics.Therecommendedsetofmetricsarebelow:

1. Percentagesofwomeninentry-level,mid-careerandsenior-levelpositions2. Percentageoffemalehiresrelativetoallhires3. Percentagesofwomenpromotedrelativetoallpromotions4. Percentageofwomenpromotedtoleadershiprolesvs.allsuchpromotions5. Percentageofwomenvs.menwholeavetheorganization(3-yearperiod)

Session I: Improving Inclusion Duringthefirstsession,severalorganizationssharedtheireffortsandinitiativestocollectandreportondata.Andrea Goldsmith, Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, began byoutliningtheimportanceofdiversityandsharedsomeofthecurrentmetrics,illuminatingtheissuesofunderrepresentation.Diverseorganizationsaremorecreative,performbetter,andhavehighersatisfactionoftheirmembers.AndrealeadsaCommitteeonDiversityandInclusionwithintheTechnicalActivitiesBoard(TAB)atIEEE,theworld'slargesttechnicalprofessionalorganizationfortheadvancementoftechnology(“IEEEanditsmembersinspireaglobal community to innovate forabetter tomorrow throughhighly citedpublications,conferences,technologystandards,andprofessionalandeducationalactivities.IEEEisthe

3

trusted“voice”forengineering,computing,andtechnologyinformationaroundtheglobe.”)IEEEcouldbearolemodelfortheprofession,whichiscurrentlystrugglingtoattractandretaindiverserepresentationamongitsmembers.

Þ Among IEEEmembership,%ofwomen (self-report):Allmembergrades (12.1%);Student members (30.3%), Graduate Student Members (8.8%), Members (8.7%),Seniormembers(7.8%),Fellows:(4.4%)

Þ Overallenrollments,womenare12%ofEE(electricalengineering)undergraduates,16%ofEEprofessors,13%ofEEworkforce

Wemayseesimilarstatisticswithotherunderrepresentedgroups,butthatdataiscurrentlynot collected. Similarly, the number of women awarded IEEE-wide awards or withinsocietiesisstrikinglylownearingthesingledigitsforbothnominationsandwinners.IEEESurveyInfographic(2018)

4

Currently12%ofelectricalengineeringundergraduatesarewomen.ThisprovidesIEEEaprimeopportunitytoimproveretentionratesandprovidethesamebenefitsforallmemberstherefore benefiting the next generation of women and URM technologists. Diversity isimportanttoIEEEandmuchremainstobedonetoaddresstheconsistentlylownumberofwomen represented as distinguished lecturers, members of leadership teams andcommittees,andawardwinners.AndreasharedsomeoftheinitiativescreatedbytheadhoccommitteeIEEEformedin2015forwomenandotherunderrepresentedgroups.ThecommitteeaimstodevelopstrategiestoincreaseengagementandrepresentationofWomenandUGsoncommitteesandBoardsofTAB,Societies,andCouncils,ensureinclusiverecognitionofachievements,andidentifybarrierstorepresentation/inclusiontosuggestimprovements.Next,AllisonScott,ChiefResearchOfficerattheKaporCenterpresentedfindingsfromtheirreport, “The Leaky Tech Pipeline: A Comprehensive Framework for Understanding andAddressingtheLackofDiversityacrosstheTechEcosystem.”Thereportincludesdataacrossthe entire pipeline, from Pre-K to 12, higher education, the tech workforce, andentrepreneurship. The report highlights key findings for each segment. Notably in theworkforce,thereportfoundthatleadershiprolesintechcompaniesare83%White,and80%male,showninFigure1.

Figure1:EmploymentinLeadershipPositionsinTech,byRaceandGender(KaporCenter2017)DataSource:EEOC(2016)AfterthereporttheKaporCenterissuedalistofsixrecommendations:

1. IncreaseEquityinK-12Education2. ExpandComputerScienceEducation3. EnhancePathwaysintoTechnologyCareers4. ImplementComprehensiveD&IStrategieswithinCompanies5. IncreasethePrevalenceofDiverseComputingRoleModels6. CreatePublic-PrivatePartnershipstoDeveloptheFutureComputingWorkforce.

5

Asofsummer2018, theKaporCenter islaunchinganewWomenofColor inComputing:Researcher-PractitionerCollaborative,whichaimstobuildabodyofliteratureonwomenofcolorincomputinganddevelop,test,andscalestrategiesforimprovingoutcomesforwomenofcoloracrossthetechecosystem.Theprogramwillconductresearchanddisseminatedataregarding trends among women of color in computing education and career pathways,barrierstoparticipationincomputingamongwomenofcolor,andinnovativeandeffectiveinterventionsandstrategiestoincreaseparticipation.

Women EntrepreneursGitanjaliSwamy,ManagingPartnerat IoTask, ledadiscussionover lunchexamininghowdiversityandinclusioncanleadtobetterinvestmentreturns.RecentstudiesbyMcKinseyshowthatgreaterdiversityleadstogreaterinnovationwith19%greaterinnovationrevenue(referstotherevenueacompanyhasgeneratedfromneworenhancedproductsinthepastthree fiscal years) and increased financial performance of 15%-35% greater. (Source:McKinseyDiversityDatabase,2016).

SampleofReportFindings:DespitebeingoneofthelargestdriversoftheUnitedStateseconomy,thetechnologyecosystemhasremainedstubbornlyhomogenousbyraceandgender,withwomen,Black, Latinx, and Native American individuals vastly underrepresented. Thispersistent underrepresentation has very real consequences. Without a diverseworkforce,theinnovativepotentialoftechnologywillbestymied.Withoutaccesstohigh-income jobs and opportunities for wealth creation through techentrepreneurship and investment, wealth inequality will worsen. And, withoutpreparing a much broader segment of the population for the future technologyworkforce, our nation’s future global competitiveness will suffer. To remaincompetitiveintheglobaltechnologyeconomy,theUnitedStateswillneedtodeveloparobustfuturetechnologyworkforce,buildcompanieswithdiversetalenttoenhanceinnovation, foster welcoming and inclusive work environments to retain diversetalent,andaddressgrowingwealthinequality.Despiteincreasingrecognitionoftheimportance of diversity, well-intentioned commitments to diversity, and theinvestment of hundreds ofmillions on diversity-related initiatives, there has beenlittleprogress.Why?Webelieve that this stagnation isnot the resultof individualcompanieslackingcommitmentorindividualpracticesbeingineffective;insteadwebelievethatthereisalackofsharedunderstandingaboutthecomplexnatureoftheproblemnecessarytodriveeffectivesolutions.

6

Althoughthedatashowsdiverseteamsincreaseperformance,womenstillreceivelimitedventure capital as CEOs and founders. Only 3% of women CEOs have venture-fundedbusinesses and represent only 1.3% of founders (see Figure 2). Some reasons for thisdisparity could be unconscious bias, lack of networks, or predatory behavior. Anotherrelatedfindingisthatwomen’sentrepreneurialfundingisconcentratedinearlyseedstageinvestmentwithlessthan$500ktotalfunding.Takingacloserlook,SwamycollecteddatathePredators in theBoardRoom?RelatingSexuallyPredatory,DiscriminatoryBehavior toPrivate Capital Performance white paper, to determine if inclusive firms, those withoutpredatory behavior, result in better investments. The initial results show that predatorypracticesarestronglycorrelatedwithpoorerinvestmentreturns.

Session II: Facing the Data ThesecondsessionstartedwithJonathanDavis,GlobalVicePresident,Advocacy,sharinghisworkat SEMI.Theorganization’smission is toprovide industry stewardshipandengagememberstoadvancetheinterestsoftheglobalelectronicsmanufacturingsupplychain.Itsvisionistopromotethedevelopmentoftheglobalelectronicsmanufacturingsupplychainand positively influence the growth and prosperity of its members. SEMI advances themutual business interests of its membership and promotes a free and open globalmarketplace.DuringtheFall2017RoundTable,LeslieTugman,ExecutiveDirectoratSEMIFoundation,offeredtoengagemembercompaniesofSEMIandincludequestionssuggestedbytheWiTLeadership Round Table in SEMI’s annual membership survey to determine howmanycompanies have adopted metrics in the aforementioned recommended set. Jonathanpresentedresultsofthesurveythatgatheredinputfromsemiconductorindustrycompaniestoidentifykeytalenttrends,bestpracticesandworkforce-relatedneedsofSEMImemberfirms. The survey includes 80 questions and covers a variety of topics including:demographic information, workforce distribution, attracting talent, campus recruiting,employeeengagement,diversityand inclusion, learning,workforceandworkplaceof thefuture,organization’sHRinvestment.SEMI identified theproblemstatement tobe that industryprosperitydependsonahighskilledinnovativeworkforce,anincreaseddemandfortalentandchallengeswiththesupplyofworkersrequiresindustry-wideattention,withreportedly1,000sofunfilledpositions.

7

Samplesurveyquestions:Whichofthefollowingmetricsdoyoutracktoday?(Checkallthatapply)

§ %ofwomeninSenior-level,Mid-level,andEntry-levelpositions§ %ofwomenpromotedrelativetoallpromotions§ %ofwomenhiresrelativetoallhires§ %ofwomenpromotedtoleadershiprolesrelativetoallsuchpromotions§ %ofwomenvs.menwholeavetheorganizationovera3-yearperiod

Whichoftheaforementionedmetricsdoyoupubliclydisclosetoday?(Checkallthatapply)

§ %ofwomeninSenior-level,Mid-level,andEntry-levelpositions§ %ofwomenpromotedrelativetoallpromotions§ %ofwomenhiresrelativetoallhires§ %ofwomenpromotedtoleadershiprolesrelativetoallsuchpromotions§ %ofwomenvs.menwholeavetheorganizationovera3-yearperiod

The survey showed that companies track metrics such as the percentage of womenpromotedrelativetoallpromotionsthoughoutthecompanies(24%),andthepercentageofwomenhiresrelativetoallhires(32%).Thesurveyalsoshowedthatamongthecompaniessurveyed,only30%disclose these statistics publicly. The semiconductorindustryisnowingreatneedofaskilledworkforce,andengagingunderrepresentedmembersofthepopulationis crucial to addressing this need and increasingproductivity. In response, they want to create acomprehensive program to increase the number,retentionandadvancementofwomenemployedinthesemiconductorandassociated industries.Mentorship,leadership participation and other programs andpartnerships are part of the plan to engage more women and minority groups in thesemiconductorsector.Michelle Settecase, a Senior Analyst at Ernst and Young, spoke about the Women. Fastforwardinitiative,whichservestoconnectallaspectsofthefirm’sgo-to-marketactivitiesaroundgenderequity, amplifyingeffortsof existingnetworks, influencingpolicy,originalthought leadership and perspectives, collaborating with global talent, corporateresponsibility,alumniandprocurement,andenablingdiscussionswithclients.

8

Theirthreepillarsofresearchandinsightare:InclusiveGrowth

• WomenEntrepreneurs• SocialEntrepreneurs• Gender-orientedpolicies

FinancialInclusion

• Greateraccesstofinancialproducts

• Greaterusageoffinancialproducts

• Multi-accountusage

DigitalInclusion

• Greateraccesstotechnologies

• WomeninSTEM• WomenANDtech

Women are subjected to high levels of unconscious bias, especially when it comes totechnology,fromthetermsusedinindustryjargontonotbeinginvolvedinthedesigningproductsandapps that aremarketed towomen.Thisdisparitywasdemonstrated in thepresentation by Amy Cross, Founder of Gender Fair, a certification created to informcustomers,employeesandinvestorsaboutwhichcompaniesareadvancinggenderequality,andtoinspirethemtosupportthosecompaniesinthemarketplace.CrossremarkedonthelackofevenoneC-levelwomanintheshoeindustry,forexample.

NEXT STEPS AtthecloseofeveryRoundTable,attendeessuggesttopicsforthenextRoundTableevent.Suggesteddiscussiontopicsincluded:howtobestsupportandencouragewomentopursuebusiness and entrepreneurship, how to standardize metrics to measure success acrossdifferent organizations, hearing what programs organizations already have in place toencourageamorediverseworkforce,tolearnmoreaboutwhatworksandwhatdoesn’t,andhowtomakeintersectionalitymorepartoftheconversation.Directactionitemsincluded:MichelleSettecase,atWomen.fastforward,ErnstandYoung,committedtofollowingupwithspeakersandattendeestoseehowtobestshareinformationfromEY’svastresourcesandconveningpowertoengagewithagreaternumberofcorporatepartners.MichellehassincereachedouttoWITI@UCwiththeopportunitytospeakwithDr.Talmesha Richards who leads the Million Women Mentors programs associated withSTEMConnector(anadvocacyandprofessionalnetworkforwomeninSTEM).EY’sresearchhasshownthatwomenchangetheircareergoalswithinthefirst5-7yearsofworkandareprimarilyaffectedbytheirlinemanagersduringthistime.Havingastrongmentorwhocanoffsetoroutrightcountermessagingthatwouldsteerwomenawayfromstretchcareergoalscouldbeakeydifferentiatorformany.The Fall 2018 Round Table is scheduled for December 7, 2018, in Santa Clara. All pastparticipantsoftheWiTLeadershipRoundTablesarecordiallyinvited.