“Who am I?”
In Unlocking the Clubhouse, Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher point to secondary school as the junction where women seek to define themselves with this important question and assert that, in this quest, many women are deterred from computing. Yet to many women entrepreneurs and members of the changing and vibrant New York tech community, the experience seems somewhat different. Here, innovation and reinvention become synonymous with self. Girls in Tech in New York aims to capture that spirit and help to awaken it through community.
In a study of women entrepreneurs using relational theory (the conceptual framework of relationships), NYU Stern grant recipient E. Holly Buttner notes that levels of entrepreneurship among women are increasing: as a group, they now employ more of the workforce than all Fortune 500 companies put together.
Buttner saw an opportunity to study women management and client-interaction models, and showed that women tend to be more interactive and focused on connectedness. She concludes that women leaders can strike a new balance between social benefits (ethics) and economic gain. I am reminded of In Good Company, a Flatiron business helping to revolutionize our relationships within the workplace environment, putting itself on the increasingly populated map of coworking sites in New York City. Social technologies and trends parallel women who are social, business-oriented, and technical.
As the economy forces us to redefine our selves and our relationships to one another, so too does the prevalence of the internet and our interconnectedness. Mike Masnick argues that no longer is there scarcity (defined by infinite need and finite resources) in the internet-driven economies, and that, even with market abundance, the economy can thrive.
Politically and economically, access to abundant resources means mastering the art of forging and organizing new relationships to capitalize on accessibility (whether with regard to information or capital). It becomes the art of inclusion. This revolution in perspective–constant access, abundance of information, and transparent public relationship–opens doors for women…and women are well-equipped to lead the effort to build our renewed economy.
Steven Weber (The Success of Open Source) writes:
“the production, flow, and control of information are core defining features of a community, economy, and society….The role of technology and organization is simply to liberate that creativity (like poetry).”(sic)
Women understand that interactivity, social ethics, and relationships are here to enable us to connect, and to do so effectively. Women influence 80% of purchasing power, andtypically increase their workforce numbers during recessions.
How do we:
- Preserve innovation and invention?
- Market to and value women in the marketplace?
- Help drive and build market recovery as entrepreneurs?
- Increase the presence of girls in technology?
- Create strong and lasting connections?
Get involved and connect.
Through my work with Girls in Tech NYC, I feel privileged to benefit from the passion and drive of the many talented women who want to help to build our local community chapter in the same way. Not the least of these are Girls in Tech NYC’s Amy Cham, Open Source community champion and builder, and Janine Just, Avid Group leader and innovator and co-community-catalyst with NextWeb . I’m further looking forward to exploring the fascinating subsection of the vibrant NYC community that will participate in April’s New York City Entrepreneur Week.
More soon on these guiding lights and partners in the New York community!
Your story:
How do you show your spirit in business, technology or in connecting with others? What part will you play in building communities? How do you include others and promote interactivity? How can you, we, or all of us help?
Comment here, or send feedback to tommy@tamikojenkins.com if you prefer to remain anonymous!
