Culture of inclusion important in IT industry: Experts

Bangalore, June 19 (UNI) A culture of inclusion, where diversity is clearly valued, is essential for any IT company to become a truly global company, women managers of top IT companies said in unison during a forum here today.

The speakers at the 'Super Women Action Network' attending a forum on 'Power of Human Network', organised by IT giant Cisco India, said the IT companies were far better in understanding the gender problems and increase in the number of women could be seen only in this field where they scale the management ladder without much hindrance.

Cisco Asia Pacific General Manager Tracy Ann Curtis said, ''IT organisations should ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace where employees from various of cultures, geographies and beliefs embrace diversity, combine their unique backgrounds, experiences and values to achieve both the individual and collective best.'' She said the problems pertaining to diversity were different in different countries. ''In the US it is White and the Black, while in India it is vastly different. Here what the locals can see, cannot be seen by the outsiders. But everywhere the womens' representation at the management level has remained abysmally low,'' she said.

Diversity among Indians is not much of a problem but the only disturbing aspect is very low representation of women in businesses including IT companies. This should become 50:50 ratio. ''We have to make sure bringing more women into the technological field. Make policies and procedures more flexible,'' Ms Curtis said.

Geetha Kannan, Head, Diversity Department of Infosys called for plugging the 'leakage' in the IT colleges. ''Only 58 per cent of those who pass out of IT institutes get employment. The percentage is much lower among women.'' According to a NASSCOM study, in India women constitute 20 per cent of the workforce in general and this would go up to 40 per cent in the next few years. Unfortunately, the representation of women in senior management level still lies as low as one per cent, she added.

UNI