1. Capitalising on Female Strengths in IT and Business Analysis Maria HorriganPrincipal Consultant BA World Sept 2009

2. Slideshare and blogs www.slideshare.com/murph www.barocks.com Zenagile.wordpress.com @miahorri # BAWorld09

3. Capitalising on Female Strengths Identifying areas where women excel and capitalise on these Gaining an edge through understanding users and interaction with customers Using corporate relationships to network Dominate through communication and people skills Understanding the importance of knowing everything about the business

4. “IT Conference” Shanghai 2008

5. Sex and the city? Celluloid Stereotypes: US Upper-middle class white culture Shopping, clothes and shoes Is this who we are? Sex in the city is a television show produced by NBC. This presentation was for educational purposes only and is NOT in any way, shape, or form affiliated with NBC, or any other persons or organizations responsible for the production of Sex in the City, all trademarks and copyright belong to their respective owners.

6. Female Archetypes Strengths and weakness of these archetypes

7. Archetypes vsSterotypes So what are the female archetypes? Why are archetypes good? Pan-cultural Any period of pan-historical How can we capitalise on archetypes?

8. 8 Female Archetypes http://sparklethis.blogspot.com/2007/10/8-female-archetype-examples-and.html

9. The Waif Strengths Tenacity and endurance Asks for help Seeks to understand Good Listener Weaknesses Not taken seriously Perceived as always needing to be “bailed out” Not seen as competent Jennifer Aniston www.laineygossip.com/pics/jen

10. The Librarian Strengths Knowledgeable Intelligent Able to problem solve Know where to find the info Weaknesses Repressed Perceived as Arrogant and not friendly Old fashioned Jane Austin a.abcnews.com/.../nm_jane_austen_071017_ms.jpg

11. The Nurtuer Strengths Listens and counsels Encourages and Mentors Empathy and Supportive Collaborative, Communicator Weaknesses Seen as “fussing” or “nagging” Indecisive, don’t want to favour one over another Others let them pick up the slack Florence Nightingale www.britannica.com/eb/art/print?id=88464

12. Crusader Strengths Strong, make tough decisions Has a mission and vision Champions a position Strategic focus, Leader Good Communicator Weaknesses Not Collaborative Seen as Aggressive 12 Ripley

13. The Spunky Kid Strengths Persistent Maturity beyond years Dependable Easy to talk to - Girl next door Team player Weaknesses Pushy Annoying Lisa Simpson media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/40/157606-13463..

14. The Free Spirit Strengths Challenges status quo Marches to a “different drum” Likes to dream about possibilities Innovative, Creative, Optimistic Weaknesses Plans may not be practical Impatient for change May not be a team player Amelia Earhart www.legendsofairpower.com/images/Earhart.gif

15. The Boss Strengths Powerful Decisive Leader , Strategist Communicator Driven and focused on outcome Weaknesses Aloof, distant, not friendly Task orientated vs people orientated Queen Elizabeth I englishhistory.net/tudor/eliz1-ermine.jpg

17. Goes after what they want

18. Empathy

20. Superficial – not genuinely interested

21. Aggressive – “Barracuda” “CougarJessica Rabbit www.moviecritic.com.au/images/realistic-jessicarabbit

22. I drink your milkshake Jessica Rabbit Jennifer Aniston image: http://www.lakefronthartwell.com/bm~pix/milkshake~s600x600.jpg

23. Women aren’t milkshakes …. more like a McFlurry

24. Archetypes = Me as a McFlurry Persistent Be Confident, assertive Set the direction, lead challenged the current way Share knowledge, mentor Asked for help when needed Supportive, counsel Get the job done

25. Capitalise on these Archetypes So how do we ‘capitalise’ on these strengths of these archetypes? Need to read the situation – people & context We all have these archetypes inside us Need to know how much and in what volume to apply them in our working lives Contextual, Situational, Contingent

26. Play to your Archetype strengths Each individual brings unique strengths to a role Become more comfortable with who you are, know your talents and strengths Be confident in abilities Need to understand your natural tendencies and make them work in your favour

27. Female Strengths in business Analysis What does A BA role look like today? Understanding the business and technical environment to achieve success

28. “Women are a part of this culture of success only to the extent that they explicitly embrace and deal with the five R's”. 23 "Membership in the Club: The Coming of Age of Executive Women," Dawn-Marie Driscoll and Carol R. Greenberg

29. Five R‘s- qualities expected of successful people in business Respect (both earned and given) Responsibility - the willingness to be responsible for your own actions Resourcefulness – know how, life long learning, networking Revenue development- proposal writing or bringing in new business. Risk taking - essential to innovation.

30. Value in understanding the business Business success depends on anticipating future trends and developments …. and aligning strategy with implementation IT is part of the everyday business, every program & initiative, will have some touch point with technology Business analysis is often key to solving the complex problems and issues When we understand the business there is an opportunity to add value, be a trusted advisor

31. Business Context Not just about the technology

32. Me as a Business Analyst I found I was good at being a BA because I was a: Communicator Analyst Good at problem solving Detailed minded Strategic thinker Good listener Wanted to help solve the problem Understood business needs and goals

33. Communication Get the job done Optimistic Persuasion Persistent Problem Solving Networking Interaction Understanding Users Intuitive Creativity Female Strengths Listening Collaboration Empathy Ability to organise Interpersonal skills Decision making Influencer Supporter Build rapport Resourceful Integrity Responsibility

34. Communication Get the job done Optimistic Persuasion Persistent Problem Solving Networking Interaction Understanding Users Intuitive Creativity BA Skills Listening Collaboration Empathy Ability to organise Interpersonal skills Decision making Influencer Supporter Build rapport Resourceful Integrity Responsibility

35. Learning to speak-geek As a Business Manager, I needed to understand techno speak so that I knew what I was signing off on As a BA, I needed to understand the possibilities of what the technology could and couldn’t do I don't have a formal IT qualification I’ve come from the business side so have lots of business degrees and qualifications … but I had to ‘learn’ geek-speak

36. How I survived moving into a career in Business Analysis Learned to speak-geek – understand the technology and how it would help the business and my work processes People mentored me – Key colleagues mentored me and supported my knowledge development New collaboration tools - Web 2.0 New roles for me – gravitated toward places I didn’t expect to go, pushed my capabilities

37. Role of technology has changed IT no longer about reducing operational cost and more about IT as an enabler to achieve organisational goals Its about managing information, communication and knowledge This is a good industry to work in: It’s constantly changing and challenging Lots of opportunities to capitalise on your strengths It”s not all about pizza and programming

38. Business vs Technical BA roles Exciting range of IT jobs available that aren’t just about technical skills Provides opportunities to work in dynamic and creative environments (medicine, movies, fashion) Increasing need for skills such as Communication, Collaboration, Ability to organise, Driving change, delivering outcomes, Problem solving Many women working in IT also come from non IT backgrounds

39. Backgrounds of IT Consultants I looked at the background of a lot of the female (and male) consultants There are former teachers, scientists, nurses, administrators, psychologists, army officers What is common is that they are great communicators, organised, they can take on just about any problem that comes their way, and they get things done. Not all have IT degrees, but they do have experience in IT (business and system) and certification in areas of IT management

40. So what does an IT job look like today? Business analysis and process re-engineering Collaboration, communication, diplomacy, design & analysis IT strategic analysis and planning – architecture Analysis, decision making, vision, business savvy, influence, persuade User-centred apps & web design Team-player, collaboration between tech/graphic designers, business and users centred, design

41. People Mentored Me Lack of senior females in my area didn’t deter me, it just made me look to other sources for mentoring I learnt from one of my staff I learnt from one of my colleagues I learnt from thought leaders I joined female IT networking groups (WIC, WIT, ACS)

42. Mentoring vs Female Competition We should be about collaboration and support

43. I’m NOT Wonder Woman “I am NOT Wonder Woman, I am in wonder of Women” Its hard to juggle all the demands of work Like other women I have obligations outside of work We need more women in IT to bring more diversity into this workforce Change the group norm to reflect the wider work vs life balance needs of everyone. Break stereotypes

44. …Or what I have learnt the hard way How to meet the challenges Don't try to do it alone. Seek collaborations both professionally and personally Learn to recognise and capitalise on opportunity Never allow yourself to stereotype other women, or rush to judgment on their seriousness

45. How to meet the challenges cont Never blame discrimination or bias for the difficulties you encounter. Instead keep trying to improve and learn Try to get promising young women into the network early. Keep in touch with them and make sure they get whatever mentoring and assistance they need Be open to change Be yourself

46. The Gender Question In ICT 75% of IT roles filled by males Females higher in middle management Gap is closing on executive roles Average salaries are close to average male salaries and gap is closing in the last 5 years – females about 5% lower on average Little salary difference in permanent roles, more difference in contractor market Chris Scullin Peoplebank presentation WIC 2009

47. Why? Confidence Soft selling and negotiation Personal perceived value Career aspiration not clearly defined Baby Boomers vs Gen X vs Gen Y Chris Scullin Peoplebank presentation WIC 2009

48. Is it about still about Gender?

49. Baby Boomers - born during the post-WWII baby boom experimental, individualism, free spirited, social cause oriented healthiest, and wealthiest generation to that time, grew up genuinely expecting the world to improve with time Started the ball rolling - saw inequity in society/workplace, questioned status quo

50. Gen X - mid 1960s to late 1970s Product of their depression era parents (went through 90s recession and first time a generation was worse off than parents) Stay in role 3 years Look for stability Respect hierarchy and believe in reward for loyalty and effort

51. Gen Y - early 80s to late 90s More demanding, higher expectations More empowered Expect to be rewarded for just turning up Competitive Merit based (not time in role) Want it all now (not been through the hard times and are the product of baby boomers)

52. So what does the future hold ? Each generation has different work needs: Baby Boomer’s fought the inequity Female Gen Xs are now reaping the benefits of the fight – now moving into senior roles Gen Y’s fight isn’t one of gender – it’s about merit

53. So what does the future hold ? Why have female numbers in ICT courses dropped off dramatically in the last 5 yrs? Why do female Gen Ys not want be in IT? Is it the Uni courses on offer? Is it the geek stereotype? Does everyone just want to be an environmental activist? 48

54. What do we need to do? Still need to: Change the perception of ICT as a career Showcase our champions Collaborate and communicate into and outside of the ICT community Encourage and mentor 49

55. Collaboration and Communication Mentoring the Web 2.0-way

56. Living in a Web 2.0 World

57. Use of Web 2.0 tools Nielsen report, 2009: 0.5 billion to 0.67 billion participants between 2007 and 2008 world wide More than four in five Australians use Web 2.0 communication technologies at least monthly Growth three times as fast as the pace of general online growth Biggest increase comes from the 35-49 yr Web 2.0 tools used more frequently than email

58. The Web 2.0-way Tools represent new ways to: Communicate and reach out to others Create trusted relationships Collaborate Mentor Share knowledge & experiences ... why do I do this?

60. Experts, gurus and thought leaders

61. Access to friends, their friends and their friends

62. The power of many

63. Trusted information from trusted sources

65. Facebook – building online communities www.facebook.com

66. Twitter

67. Social Bookmarking www.delicious.com

68. Blogs www.barocks.com

69. Blogs Craig’s blog Matt’s blog

70. Conclusions Take home messages

71. Conclusions We might be perceived as Stereotypes like the SITC girls, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte or Samantha History tells us that there’s more to us than shallow stereotypical characters My experience is about drawing on archetypal strengths and adapting to context and situation These strengths are vital and important and will mean I am judged on merit and my work will speak for itself Promote and mentor

74. Fin - Any Questions?Maria HorriganPrincipal ConsultantEmail: maria.horrigan@oakton.com.auBlog: www.barocks.com, zenagile.wordpress.comSlideshare: www.slideshare.com/murphTwitter: @miahorri