Women in tech with Deloitte and ServiceNow

Women’s diverse perspectives fuel more effective and
ethical innovation. Support them having a seat at the table. 

An old model for gender roles in technology persists even today: men are likely the front-end disruptors, and women add organizational skills afterward. By limiting a woman’s role to her ability to only turn good ideas into reality, technology-focused organizations may be underutilizing a critical source of potential breakthroughs—and business value Organizations with diverse leadership teams are 45% more likely to report growth in market share and 70% more likely to report capturing a new market. 

How to disrupt: 

• Consider embedding female perspectives and voices into the design process from the kickoff, rather than after things have gone awry. 

Empathy is a competitive advantage—especially when it
comes to AI.

Women in the workforce often have to build confidence in their abilities - and themselves - to find success in their roles. Today, women should feel empowered to lean into their soft skills, such as communication and emotional intelligence, as a competitive advantage. Not only are diverse perspectives critical for developing effective and trustworthy AI, as AI-enabled work continues to advance, human-only capabilities—like empathy—will become increasingly valuable.

How to connect: 

• Consider investing in strategies and tools that will enable leaders to encourage empathy and operationalize it at scale.
  

The next generation of women should know that a career in tech means many things—not just coding.

An increased early focus on science and math is great, but there are many other paths. There is a wide range of roles in the technology industry—sales, marketing, and design, for example—that prove you don’t have to love math or coding to love tech.

How to expand:

• Help amplify the voices of women leading both science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and non-STEM work in your organization.
• Consider showcasing a diversity of roles for women in technology as part of your marketing, branding, and recruitment campaigns.

The technology industry should be responsible for creating a culture of community—not competition—to shrink the gender gap across the tech ecosystem.

Between 2019 and 2022, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies helped fuel a 4% increase in female-held tech leadership roles. The technology industry should do more to accelerate that progress.

How to unite:

• Think about intentionally redesigning the parts of your culture that may risk making women feel they have to compete for a “spot.”
• Consider creating constructive peer networks where women may support and celebrate each other in their journeys.

Mentorship programs are important—and they can be designed to deliver better equity outcomes.

Mentorship and sponsorship can play a crucial role in helping women enter and stay in technology. Women who serve as mentors should be supported to “lift as they climb,” and leaders of all genders may be held accountable for meeting inclusive staffing goals.

How to guide:

• Consider female mentorship a part of your core culture and implement designated programs to support this effort.
• Consider prioritizing inclusivity and tying it to performance.