scholarly journals Peer Mentoring of Undergraduate Women in Engineering as a Mechanism for Leadership Development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Sherwood ◽  
Angela Kelly ◽  
Monica Bugallo
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Peer Mentoring ◽  
Women In Engineering ◽  
Undergraduate Women

Identity-safe or threatening? Perceptions of women-targeted diversity initiatives

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 745-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Cundiff ◽  
Sohee Ryuk ◽  
Katie Cech
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Diversity Initiatives ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Upper Management ◽  
Undergraduate Women ◽  
Women Employees ◽  
A Company ◽  
Identity Safety

One strategy for addressing gender disparities in STEM and leadership focuses on women-targeted diversity initiatives, such as women’s networking groups and women’s leadership development programs. Although well intentioned, targeting diversity initiatives specifically toward women instead of all employees may unwittingly make workplaces appear unwelcoming and biased to prospective employees. To test this notion, undergraduate women and men read a recruitment brochure for a company that framed its diversity initiatives as either targeting women employees or all employees. Both women and men felt less social fit and comfort with the company and were more concerned about being treated negatively and unfairly when diversity initiatives were framed as women-targeted rather than all-inclusive. These results held regardless of whether the company was portrayed as male-dominated or gender equitable (Study 1, N = 117). However, results were somewhat attenuated for women, but not men, when the women-targeted program was portrayed as initiated and led by women employees rather than upper management (Study 2, N = 152). Overall, our results suggest that diversity initiatives may more effectively convey identity safety to both women and men when framed in a way that includes all employees rather than targeting only women.

scholarly journals Leadership Development Programs for Women in Engineering Industry

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Mavriplis ◽  
Elizabeth Croft
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Women In Science ◽  
Engineering Industry ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Diverse Workforce ◽  
Women In Engineering ◽  
Engineering Organizations

Many engineering organizations are realizing the benefits of diversity for innovation in their product development and team dynamics. While women remain a minority in the classroom and the workplace when it comes to engineering, they have registered significant gains. Despite decades of increases in percentages of women at lower levels however, gender diversity at high levels remains woefully low. Without integrating diversity at all levels of an organization, the full benefits of diversity cannot be reached. Furthermore, highly trained and experienced workers become dissatisfied and/or eventually leave if they cannot see a path to career advancement. Leadership development programs for women have recently sprung up in a number of engineering organizations to reap the full benefits of these companies’ investments in a diverse workforce. At Pratt & Whitney Canada, in 2007, a committee was struck to develop a Women’s Leadership Initiative that has been vibrant ever since, registering successes such as promotion of several women to Vice President status. In 2011, the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, BC and Yukon sponsored six introductory Leadership Development workshops developed by the Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology hosted at engineering workplaces across British Columbia. The presentation and paper will discuss the need for such programs, their essential ingredients and provide a preliminary assessment of their effectiveness.

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