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Increasing Women’s Involvement in the Agile Community

Natalie Warnert

+Agenda

Introduction and Purpose of Research Background and Context – What is Agile? Research Methods Findings Recommendations & Strategy Conclusion Questions

+Purpose of Research

+Research Question

What are the reasons that prevent female Agile practitioners from achieving higher levels of involvement in the Agile community, and what strategies can overcome them?

+What is Agile?

+What is Involvement?

External to daily job responsibilities Blogging Conference attendance Submitting to present at conferences Submitting work for publication User group attendance, membership,

participation Earning certifications

+Context – Initial Literature Review

Agile• Expertise• Involvement• Culture

Societal• Stereotypes• Environments• Perceptions

Individual• Mind-set• Priorities• Standards

+Method

Interviews with women in the Agile community (7) Qualitative data

Survey of the Agile community (103) Quantitative data

Female60%

Male40%

Survey Gender Distribution

+The Interviews

+Reasons that prevent women from achieving higher levels of involvement Competing priorities for time Organizational and career reasons Lack of confidence, fear of perception from

others Intimidation from lack of diversity Some event or interaction has deterred my

involvement interest I am not interested in being more involved

+Survey Questions

What prevents you from being more involved in the Agile community?

When you think about the Agile community, in your opinion why are men more involved than women?

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Yes60%

No40%

Company Provides Financial Support for Involvement

Career or Organizational Reasons

Involvement Level and Company Support (Men and

Women) T-Test

 

Involvement with

Financial Support

Involvement without Financial Support

Mean (0-10) 5.31 4.12Observations 52 33P(T<=t) one-tail 0.0378

+Lack of Confidence, Fear of Perception from Others“I received comments at multiple conferences I’ve gone to along the way that, ‘you’re not just a pretty face ‘and then when I start talking, people think that ‘wow she actually knows what she is talking about’.” (personal conversation, February  2015) Men (Individual): 24% Women (Individual): 19% Men (Perception of women): 43% Women (Perception of women): 37%

+Intimidation from Lack of Diversity“You’d go in and you are the only female, I can see how a lot of people might drop out and be deterred from that fact. It’s not like in a college setting, where there’s three women and 28 guys, and the professor can call on you and boost your self-esteem and say that you’re just as smart as everyone else in the room, there isn’t that community across states and in the country. I think it’s a little more probably intimidating for women to look at all these people writing these blogs and articles, and they seem super smart and you compare yourself to them.” (personal conversation, February 2015) Women (Individual): 9% Men (Perception of women): 60% Women (Perception of women): 33%

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Some e

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Men an

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y0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Men vs. Women – Reasons for lack of involvement

+Men and Women are Not Equally Involved

Mean Difference in Men and Women’s Involvement Levels: T- Test

 

Women’s Involvement

Level

Men’s Involvement

Level

Mean (0-10) 4.47 5.67Observations 57 36P(T<=t) one-tail 0.0317

+Increase Involvement

+Strategy Questions

What support or actions have helped you or would help you to become more involved within the Agile community?

What support or actions do you think would help encourage women to become more involved in the Agile community?

+Research Findings: Strategies to Support Women’s Involvement Immediate:

Extend a personal invitation to participate

Mid-Range: Increase company support to participate Promote and seek out diversity in Agile community

activities Encourage and facilitate networking among women

Long Term: Increase early recruitment efforts of girls/women in

Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM) fields

+Immediate: Extend a Personal Invitation to Participate

+Mid-Range: Encourage and Facilitate Networking Among Women“All these men are typically reaching down to pull up other men like, ‘Hey let’s talk about this project. Do you want to go get a beer?’ It’s going to be really weird for me to go get a beer with another married person. I’m a married person. He’s a man. I’m a woman. That just doesn’t have good optics and so there are really no women to reach out and look for sponsors.” (personal conversation, February 2015)

+Long-Term: Early Recruitment in STEM fields“I did a few classes for elementary school kids where we brought in computers and I tore them apart and I let them look at them, and then ask me any questions they had about the computers. At fifth grade level, 24 kids signed up. Not a single girl…I don’t understand how we’re losing the girls.” (personal conversation, February, 2015)

+Recommendations

Agile• Expertise• Involvement• Culture

Societal• Stereotypes• Environmen

ts• Perceptions

Individual• Mind-set• Priorities• Activities• Standards

Change Perceptions

+Future Research

How do men perceive themselves? Will these strategies be successful? What are the benefits of involvement? How do perceptions affect involvement and

interaction?

+My Commitment

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