"Stronger together, changing together": Under this motto, codecentric AG and MaibornWolff GmbH have decided to join forces to advocate for more women in IT. A networking event has now marked the beginning of this initiative.
Why are networks and mentoring not only important in general, but especially fundamental for women in the workplace? Around 50 women from the tech industry gathered at the end of November at the Münchner Kraftwerk in MaibornWolff's office to exchange ideas on networking, mentoring, and leadership.
To get the participants into a relaxed exchange right from the start, there was first a Lego workshop. Each participant represented her working day in a small tower made of Lego bricks: showing how much she applies her professional knowledge compared to how much self-doubt she feels or how much she needs to prove her competence. Lively discussions and reflections ensued. Afterwards, everyone rebuilt their towers to reflect how they wanted the balance to look in the future.
After the inspiring exercise, the speakers took the stage: Verena Deller, Board Member at codecentric AG, Dr. Martina Beck, Managing Director at MaibornWolff GmbH, Dr. Annegret Junker, Chief Architect, and Natascha Kraus, Principal IT Architect, answered questions from moderator Ragna Steenweg.
Networking, all four agreed, is essential: many important pieces of information that can influence business and one's own career are often only accessible if you know the "right" people. – This starts with insider information about client needs, noted Martina Beck, and extends into private life, even down to securing kindergarten spots, added Natascha Kraus.
But not every connection comes naturally right away: "Actively approaching people can be exhausting – especially when you're a woman alone among men," said Martina Beck. Among women, on the other hand, she often experiences a more relaxed kind of exchange: "Women talk to each other differently; a safe space tends to emerge more quickly here."
Annegret Junker frequently gives talks at conferences and finds it easy to strike up conversations as a result. Over the years, she has learned to be at peace with herself: "I am who I am, and people have to accept me as such," she said, and her fellow panelists nodded in agreement.
Yet reaching this sense of self-assurance was a journey for all the speakers: excitement, or the feeling of being out of place, of being an outsider, or of having to prove oneself – all four had experienced this. Developing the necessary composure and confidence is a learning process. Verena Deller noted that first conversations naturally tend to remain superficial, and there is no need to put unnecessary pressure on oneself: "To build strong connections, you need to follow up, find common ground, and go deeper. That mostly happens afterwards anyway."
Ragna Steenweg, Verena Deller, Natascha Kraus, Dr. Annegret Junker, Dr. Martina Beck.
The question directed particularly at the board member and the managing director was: "How can women reach leadership positions, and what measures are the two of them taking to support women in their companies?" At codecentric, for example, measures range from a strategic commitment by management and mentoring to proactively approaching women about internal job postings and much more. "Many smaller and larger measures are necessary; there is no single thing you can do and then everything falls into place," said Verena Deller.
Martina Beck emphasized that while companies are increasingly promoting work-life balance, this alone is not enough to fundamentally change society's image of women. Natascha Kraus pointed out that, as a native Ukrainian living in Germany, she has repeatedly experienced – and continues to experience – a mentality in which young women are discouraged from pursuing a technical path.
As strongly as the country's history may still work against equal opportunities for women in tech professions in Germany – does one simply have to accept this as a given? No, all the speakers agreed: it starts with keeping the topic consistently visible, especially in the direction of male colleagues. It is also important that women should not view a "women's quota" as something to oppose, said Martina Beck. When doors are opened, women should walk through them and seize the opportunities available to them.
With many valuable insights from the speakers and participants, the evening concluded with a relaxed exchange over snacks and drinks. codecentric and MaibornWolff are planning further joint initiatives. The successful launch is motivating: the collaboration on the important topic of "Women in IT" is a small but meaningful step toward achieving more together.