New Management Approaches in Digitized Work as the Cure for Inequality?

• Main Authors: Amelie Tihlarik, Stefan Sauer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: Social Sciences
• Subjects: gender inequality; female empowerment; ICT; engineering; digitization; project management
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/4/124

Due to the increasing importance of digitization, ICT and engineering sectors are also growing. In these sectors, there are a lot of high-qualified and well-paid jobs. However, despite the growing importance and popularity of digital solutions, one fact (at least) is, unfortunately, still very stable within the ICT and engineering sectors: When it comes to employees, there are still huge differences with respect to gender and gender stereotypes. (Commercial) technology development can be regarded as having masculine connotations both structurally and culturally. Therefore, we address these connotations, especially the roles of androcentric bureaucracy, which could be described as hierarchical, technocentric, and very controlling-oriented, and (the structural possibilities of) self-efficacy. We discuss, conceptually and empirically with a focus on software development, whether new management approaches like agile frameworks and new management roles like Feel-good Managers and Scrum Master could be seen as a cure for inequality or if there are new stereotypical gender-related ascriptions for specific activities or processes.