Support Women in Technology at UCI

"Not only do women and men experience work differently; not only is it the system—rather than women—that needs fixing; but there are three critical actions organizations need to take: they must broaden their leadership models, stimulate dissent, and encourage more effective introspection across the board." McKinsey, Dec. 2019

• Women have very different experiences compared to their male colleagues on their leadership journey. This program is designed to understand and explore the differences and how to capitalize on the strengths.
• It is vitally important to have a safe space for women to discuss, collaborate, reflect on situations, and network together to not only further develop their leadership style, but to help transform the organization into a truly inclusive workplace.
• Now is the time for change...gain the confidence you deserve and emerge as a stronger leader!

According to the Center for Creative Leadership Women outnumber men at almost every educational level and are about half the workforce in most countries, but:

• Women hold just 24% of senior management roles.
• Women make up a mere 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs.
• Only 1 in 18 women earns a 6-figure salary in the US — versus 1 in 7 men.
• For women of color, this wage and leadership gap is even wider.

Progress has been slow or stagnant in the percentages of women reaching senior, top, and director-level positions in all countries in which benchmarking studies have been conducted.

Additionally, recruiting women increases financial performance:

• Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women on boards financially outperform those with the fewest female board members.
• A Gallup study found that gender-diverse business units have higher average revenue than less diverse business units.
• Having larger percentages of women in an organization also predicts greater job satisfaction, higher levels of employee engagement, and decreased rates of burnout — for all workers, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, or leadership level.
• "Despite national conversations about gender diversity in tech, women are still underrepresented, underpaid, and often discriminated against in the tech industry, numbers show." (CIO from IDG, March 2021)
• Women make up 47% of all employed adults in the U.S., but as of 2015, they hold only 25% of computing roles. (National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT))
• Of the 25% of women working in tech, Asian women make up just 5% of that number, while Black and Hispanic women accounted for 3% and 1%, respectively. All this despite the fact that the growth of STEM jobs has outpaced the growth of overall employment in the country, growing 79% since 1990 while overall employment has grown 34%. (Pew Research Center)
• 50% of women said they had experienced gender discrimination at work, while only 19% of men said the same. The numbers were even higher for women with a postgraduate degree (62%), working in computer jobs (74%) or in male-dominated workplaces (78%). When asked whether their gender made it harder to succeed at work, 20% of women said yes and 36% said sexual harassment is a problem in their workplace. (Pew Research Center, 2017).
• Women in tech report facing more burnout than their male colleagues during the pandemic. 57% of women surveyed said they experienced more burnout than normal during the pandemic, compared to 36% of men who said the same. That might be because 44% of women also report taking on extra responsibilities at work, compared to 33% of men. And a greater number of women (33%) report taking on more childcare responsibilities than men (19%) at home. Women in tech were also almost twice as likely to have lost their jobs or to have been furloughed during the pandemic than men (14% vs. 8%). (TrustRadius, 2021)
• The pandemic has also left women less likely to ask for a raise or a promotion, compared to their male colleagues. In a survey of 2,000 tech workers, 67% of male respondents said they would be comfortable asking for a raise in the next month and for a promotion. But only 52% of women said they’d be comfortable asking for a raise and 54% said they’d be comfortable asking for a promotion. Women were also less likely to say they felt comfortable asking for flexibility around work location, schedule, or hours than their male counterparts. As the study points out, if women feel discouraged from asking for a raise, while their male colleagues are comfortable doing so, that could lead to widening the gender pay gap in the tech industry even more. (Indeed, 2021)

The LEAP Program is designed to support women, all minorities and men who lead teams of women in informational technology and STEM roles seeking to advance their career through leadership, influence, communication and confidence. This program is for professionals of any gender identity who support the advancement of professionals who identify as women.

• Provide women leaders with tools to build a consistently confident, credible and impactful personal leadership presence
• Discuss the unique leadership skills women can employ and leverage to shape the future of organizational cultures
• Provide women leaders with exposure and networking opportunities to share ideas and strategies with participant peers, faculty and executive leadership coaches.
• Create actionable plan for immediate practical application of key concepts
• Form mini-affinity groups for long lasting, on-going peer coaching following the program

If a participant misses a class, it is required to make it up at the next program offering. The LEAP Program will be offered annually in Winter and Fall. This program offers an intentionally small, intimate environment with a capacity of only 40 participants, therefore registering early is highly recommended.

Despite my busy schedule, I enjoyed being ‘present’ throughout the course, as the presentations from the excellent coaches, faculty and varied panelists were very relatable, validating some strategies already in use, while providing additional gems to my personal and professional toolkit.
– Barbara Niemand, eCommerce Manager, Division of Finance and Administration

By attending this program with other women in technology, I found many new allies from the UCI Campus IT that I would have never have had the opportunity to meet.  My Linked-In network has grown with many linkages to these amazing women.
– Jamie Anand, RN MS; Informatics Outreach Architect, UCI Health

UCI LEAP program has helped me become a better version of myself, made me more confident, encouraged me to bring my individuality at work, molded me to release any resistance to receive feedback, and inspired me to build a credible presence.
– Jayadivya Vijayan, Business Analyst, OIT

The LEAP program gave me tools to be a stronger woman with a voice to influence and make positive changes. The experts teaching the sessions were phenomenal. I have made great connections with other participants in the program. The lessons learned will apply to both professional and personal settings.
- Jila Rouhi, PharmD; Pharmacy Lead, UCI Health

The LEAP program sessions were not only very informative and interesting but also interactive and eye-opening. I am more positive and more confident after attending these sessions. I’m a better leader because of the LEAP program and it is empowering! I am grateful to be part of the LEAP program and found it to be an enjoyable and valuable experience.
– Lakshmi Arunachalam, Business Systems Analyst, UCI Libraries

Upon successful completion of the LEAP program, participants will earn a certificate from The Paul Merage School of Business.

Additional benefits for LEAP participants: 

• UCI Merage alumni status
• Access to a private LinkedIn group for women in tech
• Future networking opportunities

Peer coaching is an ideal structure for reflection and just one more reflective activity to add to your arsenal of leader learning tools. Through reflection and feedback within your peer coaching relationship, you develop a clearer awareness of personal behaviors and beliefs that affect your performance.

Participants will be divided into teams where participants will serve as peer mentors.

Christopher Bauman
Associate Professor, Organization and Management
The Paul Merage School of Business

Manisha Dhawan
Executive Coach, Founder + CEO
MPath Coaching

Maia Young, PhD
Associate Professor, Organization and Management
The Paul Merage School of Business

** Faculty are subject to change **

Spring 2024: April 4 - May 10

Session 0
April 4, 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm PST
On Campus Orientation Networking Session

Session 1
April 5, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm PST
Women in Leadership - The Foundation

Session 2
April 12, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm PST
Own Your Career

Session 3
April 19, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm PST
High Quality Decision Making

Session 4
April 26, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm PST
Negotiation Strategies for Women

Session 5
May 3, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm PST
Building a Powerful Presence

Session 6
May 10, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm PST
Putting it all into Practice
On Campus Program Session & Graduation

Session 0: Orientation Networking Session

Session 1: Women in Leadership - The Foundation

• Barriers women face in leadership positions (stereotypical gender roles, the double-bind, tiara syndrome, queen bee phenomenon, imposter syndrome, identity crisis, etc.)
• Mixed messages to address the dilemma are not sufficient (Teach women to be more like men/Don’t be too nice, etc.)
• Managing imposter phenomenon and overcoming self-doubt.

Session 2: Networks, Mentors, Sponsors & Allies

• Learn the importance of intentionally building support systems to enhance your organizational presence
• Create strategies to build relationships and leverage your networks
• Mentors, Sponsors and Allies: How to find them and how to be them
• Ally to action

Session 3: High Quality Team Decision Making

• Hands-on exercise in team decision-making that provides us with a shared experience in which we analyze the best practices in team decision making before discussing applications to our own workplaces
• Discuss leading group discussions formally and informally, communicating effectively so that our voices are heard
• Strategies for empowering others to share their perspectives and ideas 

Session 4: Negotiation Strategies for Women

• Develop negotiation skills with a simulation and debriefing that highlights the impact of a variety of strategic and tactical choices
• Cover best practices that are applicable to all, and emphasize solutions to the particular challenges that professional women face during negotiations
• Provide concepts and a framework to effectively analyze the negotiation situation
• Expand your toolkit of useful negotiation skills, strategic planning and tactics

Session 5: Build a Powerful Leadership Presence

• Learn practical strategies to show up in an intentional, credible and impactful manner
• Identify & craft your own power identity
• Learn the three components of building a powerful leadership presence
  • Identity: How I see myself
  • Image: How I present myself
  • Interpersonal Connection: How I connect and interact with others 

Session 6: Putting it all into Practice

Graduation Celebration