Why the diversity dial isn't moving: Atlassian State of Diversity Report 2018

As a female founder, mother of four girls and passionate #STEM and #diversity advocate, I am doing what I can in my sphere of influence to drive diversity and inclusion, ignite conversation, table the metrics and push for progress. 

But diversity is indeed a very wicked problem. 

Entrenched cognitive biases, fixed cultures, diversity fatigue and too much talk and too little action mean we’ve actually still got a long way to go before D&I and gender is no longer on the agenda. (Run the numbers on the number of women in tech/STEM/funded startups/ASX or Fortune500 CEO leadership roles/government senior level positions. Not good.)

We keep talking/reading/town hall-ing about team diversity as a critical driver of innovation and problem-solving, but unless we can cultivate it/hire for it/celebrate it/elevate it/action it, our best attempts at innovation will always be constrained. 

Atlassian’s recent State of Diversity Report 2018 reveals why the D&I dial isn’t actually moving despite the conversations about cultural shift and commitment to D&I in the US and Silicon Valley right now. 

This is, of course, an endemic problem.

To effect any real change we need to sweep company-, startup- and society-wide, top to bottom, bring more chairs to the cap table, break down mindless bureaucracy, shift fixed mindsets, share our stories, build D&I skills, action inclusivity programs, push against status quo, employ empathy, and put people, values, balance and belonging before the BS of empty D&I PR rhetoric.

We also need to commit to active end-to-end processes and systems that mandate diversity as an accountable, transparent line item, and usher in a new world of work practice where we hire for diversity of not just faces but races, places and think spaces (mind sets).

What are you doing to action diversity and shift the dial? #teamup 

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At www.girledworld.com we are doing our bit to build girls up with skills and real-world knowledge so they can do their best work with values-driven passion. But the world needs to be ready for them when they unleash themselves on it. 

Join us to build the next Gen of innovators, founders and leaders at the girledworld WOW Summit 2018 at RMIT University.

A life-changing weekend of real-world learning for girls. Details here.

#teamup #girledworld #closetheSTEMdergap #womenintech

Let's get girls to unleash their potential and solve the wicked problems of the world: girledworld summit 2018

There are so many wicked problems to solve in the world that we think it’s time girls unleash their potential and collective talents to tackle them head-on.

This year at the @girledworld WOW Summit 2018 @rmituniversity WE WILL have a full-day deep dive on DESIGN THINKING to give girls real-world tools in real-world problem-solving. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE. And click here to book your spot.
 

SO What is Design Thinking ANYWAY?

Design Thinking is a process for creative problem-solving. It's a methodology often used by designers to solve complex (or wicked) problems through a stepped process in order to find desirable solutions for their clients (= humans who have problems they need solved).

In order to use Design Thinking, you need to use a design mindset which parks what you know and let's you instead go deeply into understanding the human you are solving problems for. You need to EMPATHIZE with their world, and notice what's happening for them, so you can best gather insights about their experiences.

Once you've gathered your insights about the problems you have observed you will need to DEFINE them. Kind of come up with a set list of the things you've observed, and patterns you've recognised, so you can then try and solve for the problems therein.

The next stage is to IDEATE (ie: brainstorm to come up with as many awesome solutions as you can to solve the problems on your DEFINE list).

You can THINK BIG here! Moonshots. The idea is you just get as many wild and wacky ideas out there as you can. Flex your creative muscle. Go nuts. Because the whole point of Design Thinking is that it pushes you to explore the possibilities of what could be, by drawing on logic, imagination, intuition, and systemic reasoning to create desired outcomes that will ultimately benefit the end user (the customer/human).

The next step is to build the solution: PROTOTYPE. Make it. But make it simple. And make it fast. Do it for under $100. Under $1 is even better! Use paper, wire-framing on a free web tool, sketch it, act it out. Whatever you do. Don't overcomplicate it. Just bring it to life as fast as you can because once you've built your PROTOTYPE you need to quickly get it into the hands of a human (customer) as soon as you can to TEST it.

Why? The human can tell you if it sucks, or not. They can also tell you if your solution is solving their problem well, or not at all. If it does solve quite well but not quite well enough, work with the human to change it (iterate), so it gets closer to what they need, and then ask them to TEST it again. If it still sucks, go back to the start of the process and see if you started with the right problem in the first place. Then step through the cycle again. Rinse and repeat. Til ultimately, you place in the hands of the human (customer) a solution so insanely awesomely customised just for the problem they needed solved, that they'll be begging you to keep it.

Voila. Simple as that.

Problem solved. Solution beautiful.

You now have a product worth making and shipping to the world!

What's the difference Between Design and Design Thinking?

“Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
— Steve Jobs, APPLE

“Design is the action of bringing something new and desired into existence—a proactive stance that resolves or dissolves problematic situations by design. It is a compound of routine, adaptive and design expertise brought to bear on complex dynamic situations.”
—Harold Nelson, The Design Way

Join us for a full day of immersive Design Thinking where girls will work in groups to use creativity, collaboration and innovative problem solving to design solutions to three real-world problems. (And gain a Micro-Credential in #designthinking to add to their resumes :)

@girledworld invites future female changemakers (currently in Years 9 to 12 in Australian secondary schools) who want to gain skills in entrepreneurship, design thinking and real world problem solving to join us for a hands on day of business building! 🙌🏽

Led by a dynamic, hand-picked squad of industry specialists, innovation coaches, entrepreneurs and RMIT experts, our young female changemakers will work together across a day of Design Thinking modules to unpack complex problems and work to solutions on three real world pain points.

Limited spots. A lifetime of learning. 

“Design thinking is a process for creative problem solving.”

- Coe Leta Stafford, Managing Director IDEO U 

GIRLEDWORLD WOW (WORLD OF WORK) 🌏SUMMIT 2018 🙌🏽

This year's Summit has been developed and designed with RMIT Melbourne (where the event will be held) and will feature two days of immersive, real-world, hands-on learning for girls in Australian Secondary Schools (Year 9 - Year 12) so they can radically upskill, powerfully goal-set and get ready to thrive in the Future of Work. 

Across one extraordinary, transformational weekend, the @girledworld WOW 🌏Summit will bring together top speakers, industry experts and amazing career mentors to explore the new world of work and emerging areas of technology and STEM. This interactive, highly curated, Australian curriculum aligned event will empower, educate and equip all attendees with the mindsets, skillsets and toolkits they'll need to make informed choices about their future career pathways. 

WE PROMISE. THIS IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE CAREERS EVENT. ⚡️🚀

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFO ON THE LINE-UP

LAST YEAR’S @GIRLEDWORLD SUMMIT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE WAS A SELLOUT! GET IN QUICK FOR THIS ONE!

GROUP BOOKINGS AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS.
PLEASE SEE HERE.