Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab

In celebration of Pride Month, we feature an article highlighting the importance of stability in work groups to ensure feelings of belonging amongst LGBTQ+ employees--co-authored by Prof. Erin A. Cech, Lab Affiliates Scholar, and Prof. Tom Waidzunas. By studying NASA employees and analyzing survey data from over 14,000 US STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) professionals, Cech and Widzunas show that LGBTQ+ STEM professionals feel more secure in a single team that remains together for a long period of time, as opposed to being on fluid teams where individuals switch teams or join multiple teams across projects. These data show that a sense of security is found when one’s team is not periodically changed or uprooted to avoid continuous re-establishment of trust with each new team. Why is that? LGBTQ+ employees can experience higher levels of microaggressions and physical and emotional harassment, compounded by the fear of coming out and societal norms that enforce heteronormativity and cisnormativity. This article speaks to the current and urgent need to create safe, stable and welcoming spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. The increasingly high numbers of U.S. anti-LGBT+ legislation has a significant impact on the mental health and physical safety of those who identify within the LGBTQ+ community. With the Lab’s research-based and scholar-backed work in the field, we seek more ways to be inclusive and expansive. Share your thoughts with us on how you are celebrating Pride month and implementing lasting change within your lives, organizations, and communities this month, and for the rest of the year! Research (2002) by:  Erin A Cech, Department of Sociology, University of Michigan  Tom Waidzunas, Department of Sociology, Temple University Posted by Hannah Yanow, Ed.D. #pride #pride2024 #lgbt #inclusion #belonging 

How do you move from theory to practice? In follow-up to the Lab’s Corporate Program events, we develop discussion toolkits which are essential for bringing the learnings from the workshops back to organizations. The goal is for these workshops to bring actionable, tangible, and applicable learnings back to organizational teams and groups. In creating these discussion toolkits, we keep multiple levels of relationality and perspective-taking in mind. This interview with Hannah Yanow, Ed.D., lead content developer for the Lab’s current Corporate Program discussion toolkits, provides an overview of how we create discussion toolkits, the supporting methodology, and strategies for becoming an effective facilitator (and how you probably already have the tools). At the end of this article, you will find links to other resources which are free and available to the public to support you on your facilitation learning journey. #stanfordvmwarelab #discussions #toolkits

How do you move from theory to practice? In follow-up to the Lab’s Corporate Program events, we develop discussion toolkits which are essential for bringing the learnings from the workshops back to organizations. The goal is for these workshops to bring actionable, tangible, and applicable learnings back to organizational teams and groups. In creating these discussion toolkits, we keep multiple levels of relationality and perspective-taking in mind. This interview with Hannah Yanow, Ed.D., lead content developer for the Lab’s current Corporate Program discussion toolkits, provides an overview of how we create discussion toolkits, the supporting methodology, and strategies for becoming an effective facilitator (and how you probably already have the tools). At the end of this article, you will find links to other resources which are free and available to the public to support you on your facilitation learning journey. #stanfordvmwarelab #discussions #toolkits

Across many disciplines, scholars have documents and analyzed the impact of the person who creates the piece. In art, the "gaze" can affect how subjects are depicted; for example, a male gaze depict a woman idealized as a love interest while a female gaze may appreciate her scars reflecting her journey. In history, the author can include or leave out certain histories and views, shaping what is widely known about our past. In radio journalism, which this article touches on, a diverse reporting staff can bring in different voices and stories to shape our sense of what is "current" news. Yet to bring in those voices, organizations must do the work. We are pleased to see our Lab's Senior Research Scholar Melissa Abad, PhD and upcoming speaker Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield cited as providing important insights into the additional labor for employees of color to support these diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. And they must continue to do the work to make sure these voices continue to be included in workplace practices. Doing the work is important. And having organizations foster the resiliency of the employees doing the work, and to sustain the programs, are essential ingredients to create more inclusive workplaces. Article by Prof. Laura Garbes.

When seeking more teamwork and innovation, we may believe that our answer is to create a “culture of genius.” Yet as author and keynote speaker, Prof. Mary Murphy explains in her book, "Cultures of Growth," we might be better served in creating workspaces where curiosity, learning and inclusion are the norm. But putting theory into practice isn’t always as easy as it seems. That is why the Lab turned to key members of our Corporate Program to brainstorm and discuss common barriers and workable solutions to foster a growth mindset culture. This article outlines ways to identify practices that reinforce a growth mindset approach, as well as strategies to foster a learning approach. For example, in job descriptions, instead of including “We hire only the best candidates,” try “We are interested in hiring top candidates who are dedicated to ongrowing growth.” With these practical steps, and others included in the article, we can indeed create more inclusive and innovative workspaces. Article written by Lori Nishiura Mackenzie and Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D. #inclusion #culture

Check out this great opportunity to spearhead #survey development and #data #analysis for the annual Women in the Workplace study -- a tremendously important source of data on the status of #women in corporate America. #WomenInTheWorkplace Lean In McKinsey & Company #quantitative #research #remote

Congratulations to Lab Director, Shelley J. Correll, the new President-elect of the American Sociological Association! And congratulations as well to Prof. Victor Ray as the Vice President-elect. For more information about ASA: https://www.asanet.org/

For many global workers, earning a job in the US opens a world of opportunities to have meaningful, well-paid work. Yet, the very visas that provide legal status for these workers can turn into an “opportunity trap” for workers and their families, according to Professor Pallavi Banerjee. In her book, The Opportunity Trap (New York University Press), Banerjee provides a crucial behind-the-scenes view of how highly skilled immigrants, despite their credentials, can be exploited in what Banerjee calls a “visa regime,” or “a technique that controls the lives and subjectivities of immigrant workers and their families.” In order to study the lives of 50 Indian H1B visa holders and how their families fare in the US, Banerjee follows two types of visa holders: male tech workers and female nurses. Two dynamics can lead to the visa regime. The first is how the visa procurement process, feminized care in nursing and masculinized technological skills, reinforce a gendered model minority stereotype. In turn, when workers face discrimination, they lean further into the stereotype as a perceived tool to help secure a pathway toward legalization and protect their status. This approach, however, can result in this group distancing themselves from other nonwhites in the U.S. The second dynamic has to do with the status of spouses. The dependent spouse or H4 visa holder must manage US immigration policy’s gendered logic that presumes they have no desire to participate in the formal labor market. Until recently, dependent spouses were not allowed to work, reluctantly converting them into either housewives with few privileges or male spouses struggling with not being the breadwinner. This situation forces couples to be creative about how they protect each other’s gendered sense of professional self. By understanding the opportunity trap, we can work towards policies and practices to provide more real opportunity to immigrant workers providing critical professional labor for our companies. This article was based on the book review written by Lab Senior Research Scholar, Melissa Abad, PhD: https://lnkd.in/eetJfr4s Posted by Alison Wynn, PhD. Check out Professor Banerjee’s book here: https://lnkd.in/egNqKajv #H1B #VisaHolders #tech #nursing #gender #race #AAPI #ModelMinority #VisaRegime #Immigration #Intersectionality #Heteronormativity

The number of Americans voluntarily working part-time hit a record high this year, thanks in part to women — particularly mothers — benefiting from the pandemic-driven rise in flexible work arrangements. A record share of women ages 25-54 are now participating in the workforce, and the rate among women with a child under five surged to nearly 70% in March, according to an analysis by the Brookings Institution. That’s up from an average of 65.7% in the five years preceding the pandemic.

Lab Co-founder, Lori Nishiura Mackenzie, shares her family story in honor of #AAPIHeritageMonth. Learning more about colleagues and friends can help us discover "hidden stories" that can help us move beyond a stereotypical view of one another to the human inside.