Women Leading Change: a Research-Based Framework for Transforming Organizations

From Anita Borg Institute Wiki

Notes by Moya Watson

Carol Tisson - Senior Consultant at Being First, Inc. - delivered what she says is usually a three-day workshop in an hour to a packed room.

She cited specific examples, such as Intel traveling through the "valley of death" in the 80s, of the importance of leading change in the tech industry. She spoke about "change leadership" vs. change management. "People don't resist change - they resist being changed."

"You can't project manage a transformational change," she said. You can't know the strategy. The challenge is that the leader is learning while leading - and the outcome of each step along the way is unpredictable.

A critical capacity in change leadership is "being able to not know the answer." This ability to live and thrive with ambiguity, Carol said, is a key capacity women bring to the mix. She said much research is just happening now on women as leaders of change.