FI webinar on the growing role of diversity in IT (Bühnová)

Barbora Bühnová (photo) Lecturer. Ing. RNDr. Barbora Bühnová, Ph.D.
D., Ph.D., Vice Dean for Industry Relations, FI MU
Vice-Chair of EUGAIN Network, co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of Czechitas

Introduction to the webinar. In this context, the question often arises - why do girls choose particular interests, study programmes and careers as an alternative to computer science or information technology? What are the motivators and benefits of these alternatives that IT lacks? Our webinar focuses on the growing role of diversity in IT, including some findings from recent studies on the topic. We'll discuss effective strategies for making IT more inclusive and open to diverse talent. And we'll share lessons learned from engaging more girls in IT, including insights and strategies specifically related to academia.

Webinar recording

The webinar also includes this presentation.

Key takeaways:

The importance of diversity is growing in terms of
- Talent and cognitive styles
- Connecting disciplines
We can't afford to lose talented people
- Pressure on the technology workforce shortage will continue to grow
- Women are a great reservoir of talent for tech in the Czech Republic
- We often miss talented people because we lack their talents
Barriers and factors mentioned in the webinar
- Critical mass and sense of belonging
- Stereotypes and false beliefs about the underrepresentation of women in computing
- Differences in self-esteem and perfectionism
- Faulty meritocracy and valuing of different talents
- Differences in talent/cognitive styles correlated with gender
- Unconscious biases and their relation to decision making
- Challenges in achieving diversity

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