Collaborative leadership for women in IT

This article highlights the steps involved in achieving that dynamic leadership style by the women in IT.

For many years, the corporate structure of the Information Technology industry was hierarchal, and companies built their organizations in a very restricted manner with ranks of similarly-thinking managers. The higher positions in those hierarchies, as well as most of the careers in the IT sector, were dominated by men, who maintained an authoritarian, command-and-control style of management. Due to that, many women felt intimidated by IT-related jobs. There was almost no chance for women in the IT sector to reach higher positions and they were always expected to work twice as hard in order to prove themselves.

Not until recently have women, specially in the Gulf, started to recognize the many opportunities that a career in IT could offer them. Universities across the UAE have experienced an increasing number of female students majoring in Information Technology and Computer Systems degrees over the past few years, which lead to more and more women pursuing careers in the Information Technology industry. Faiza AlZarouni, head of the IT Solutions Department in ADCO, believes that Information Technology careers are very good for women. 'There is a wide range of career opportunities including web design, programming and technical support'. With the support of leadership programs for women in the UAE (such as the ATHENA program), women have even started taking their jobs to a more advanced level. By that I mean that they have started to accept challenges and take risks at some point in their careers to reach to the top and gain higher positions. They have accepted difficult assignments, juggled and prioritized their projects, and made several career changes on their way. With the increasing number of women in the UAE's national labor force and the need for female skills comes newer opportunities and chances for women to succeed as leaders of the new information society economy. Faiza says 'I was able to reach the top by working in IT because it allowed me to continuously upgrade my skills - it is a very active field!'. Gradually, society's perception of women in the IT field has improved and people are now beginning to acknowledge that women can be just as capable, smart, competent and qualified as their male counterparts. In fact, according to a study conducted by the Hagberg Consulting Group, female executives proved to be extremely successful when given the chance to be in charge.

Flori Roberts, the founder of Flori Roberts Cosmetics, says 'the difference between men and women is not how we run our businesses, but how we lead.' The term 'Leadership' is often defined as a person's ability to guide, motivate, and influence the people of an organization to contribute to reaching organizational objectives and success. So why are women becoming exceedingly successful in 'leading' positions and why are female leadership characteristics becoming a competitive advantage for the IT industry? The need for female leadership is shown in the uncongenial nature of today's IT industry resulting from computer and technology ubiquity. In a job where all the work is done using computers and there is little interaction with others, people are now choosing work environments with more personalization where they feel a sense of family with their managers. Here comes the answer to the previous questions: women are excellent in networking and building relationships. They are much more collaborative and caring in their style of management and tend to give great attention to how they affect their employees. Due to the newly constructed, flatter structure of modern organizations, these managerial skills have become imperative for organizational success.

Now the main question is: what do you need to do as a woman to become a dynamic IT leader? The answer is to maintain a blended leadership style. Even though feminine leadership characteristics are very much wanted in today's economy and specially in the IT sector, they will not completely substitute the traditional approach to management and holding on to only one type of management is considered myopic. Fortunately, we as women are natural multi-taskers and that is very much needed in an IT-related career. We have the ability to combine both the collaborative management techniques with the traditional authoritative male methods. Powerful leaders are ones who select the best from both these styles and interlace them together to enhance their effectiveness.

The first thing you need to do to maintain that kind of blended leadership style is to have a little audacity. The reason why women are great leaders in a collaborative environment is because they have a nurturing management style and tend to personalize the workplace by connecting with the team members and making sure they realize that their work is valued. However, although building relationships is important, powerful leadership means that in most cases you should gather your courage, step up and make the final decision. You should always consult with your team and consider their input, but at the same time they should pass on the responsibility of making the final call to you as their manager.

Secondly, you need to take disciplinary action when necessary. Because women develop strong relationships with their employees, it becomes increasingly difficult to regulate or even dismiss them. Most women find it hard to deliver bad news and usually try to do their best in saving their employees for the longest time possible. As good as that might sound, it might actually be a loss to the company. The first thing you need to do is put your emotions aside and weigh up your reasons carefully. Once you have all your facts straight you must be straightforward and just in your decision. Always remember that dealing with your employees professionally makes you gain their respect.

The third thing you need to be is: approachable - but with a limit. It is important that you be accessible to your employees, but unscheduled encounters make you lose valuable time and reduce your efficiency. Do not allow interruptions while you are doing your job and set some rules so that people do not take advantage of your time.

Next, do not take things personally. A powerful IT leader does not try to please everyone in the organization but tries to earn their respect. As women, we tend to be emotional and worry about what others think of us. This causes much frustration and hassle. What you should do is face the facts and accept that you can never please each and every employee.

Lastly, never back away from confrontation and always believe that everything is negotiable. Do not ignore a mistake in order to avoid disagreement with other people because that will only make the problem worse. Women are natural negotiators so take your disagreements to a professional level and confront your situation before it turns into an organizational disaster. By engaging in a healthy and professional disagreement, you are actually improving communication between yourself and the other parties.

In the end, women leaders are setting the standards for future IT organizations so use your natural leadership skills and develop them to your own advantage. Remember that in the IT world, what it takes to succeed is taking risks and trying out new things. So if you scrape your knees on the way to the top, be persistent and don't be afraid to gather your inner strength and bounce back into the game.