Questioning impact: interconnection between extra-organizational resources and agency of equality and diversity officers

This paper examines the change agency of equality and diversity (E&D) officers with a specific emphasis on the role of extra-organizational influences and resources. The paper is informed by qualitative material collected through interviews with E&D officers from 20 higher education institutions in the UK. The paper offers an evidence-based analysis of the utility of extra-organizational mechanisms and intervention programmes for organizational E&D agenda and for the agentic influence of E&D officers. The paper contributes to both academic literature and policy-making. We present original empirical insights into the change agency of E&D officers by exploring the impact of extra-organizational bodies as potential mechanisms for support and influence. At the policy level, the paper provides evidence on the value of extra-organizational resources and tools that are produced by policy bodies in promoting progressive E&D agendas in organizations

Women’s Informal Entrepreneurship through the Lens of Institutional Voids and Institutional Logics

YesIn this conceptual paper, we respond to the calls for broader theoretical approaches that can coherently demonstrate a high degree of conceptual sensitivity to multiple combinations of institutional factors influencing women's informal entrepreneurship (WIE) and related agency. We do so by integrating constructs of gender and gender inequality with those of institutional logics and institutional voids. We find that a refined understanding of institutional voids is required to pave the way for a meaningful theoretical integration and empirical application of the related conceptualizations. We offer such a revised definition by placing formal and informal logics (rather than institutions) at the heart of it. In our theorizing, we propose that gender interplaying with formal and informal institutional logics create varying degrees of obscure and unique institutional voids that shape WIE prevalence. The proposed harmonized theoretical lens provides researchers with flexible yet consistent guidance for conducting context-specific empirical work that can coherently advance understanding of underlying logics shaping WIE and related agency

Technology Nascent Entrepreneur Experiences of Start-up Competition Participation

Start-up competitions have been proliferating across university campuses worldwide as one of the mechanisms to support student and graduate entrepreneurship. The chapter takes the start-up competition (SUC) phenomenon from the perspective of the technology nascent entrepreneur participant and within the context of their individual experiences of participation. It contextualises the start-up competition, giving due attention to its origins and the contemporary environment, and conceptualises the phenomenon, unpacking the espoused benefits of the competition participation experience for the participant. This highlights that despite SUC being promoted to technology nascent entrepreneurs as an important activity and valuable opportunity, a problematic dearth in knowledge surrounds how such entrepreneurs understand, describe and reflect upon their experiences of SUC participation. Through the medium of two individual and exploratory case studies, this chapter presents nascent technology entrepreneur accounts of their participation in a UK university-based business plan competition. Propositions are offered which could usefully guide much-needed further exploration of start-up competitions within the context of technology nascent entrepreneurial new venturing

Strategisches Handeln von Startups im Kontext der Mediatisierung

Junge Gründer und Start-ups müssen sich in einer schnell wandelnden und mediatisierten Wettbewerbsumwelt behaupten. Ihr Handeln wird geprägt von sozialen Netzwerkmedien wie Facebook, LinkedIn oder Instagram. Um auf diesen Medien-plattformen erfolgreich zu sein, müssen Markenführung und Markenkommunikation strategisch verankert sein. Der Aufsatz präsentiert daher eine qualitative Analyse empirischer Daten aus dem Kontext des Start-up-Incubator neudeli der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar und verdeutlicht, dass die Mediatisierung grundlegend in die strategische Entwicklung der Marke von jungen Gründern und Start-ups eingreift. Die Studie verdeutlicht das Verständnis strategischer Markenführung in mediatisierten Kontexten und zeigt, dass drei idealtypische Praktiken zur Markenführung und strategischen Entwicklung beitragen: 1) Bürokratische Medienarbeit, 2) Mediale Kreativarbeit, 3) Netzwerkarbeit durch Medien

Gender equality and diversity discourses: The case of women in the science, engineering and technology (SET) employment in Europe

The importance of inclusion of women in the SET sector has been recognised as critical to the economic and social development of the European Union member states. Despite the growing contribution of women to the economy, their career progress in SET has been slow and incremental (Conyon and Mallin, 1997; Singh and Vinnicombe, 2003; Adams and Flynn, 2005; Chell et al., 2007). Recent research has moved attention from increasing supply of women in SET sectors to the impact of SET cultures including institutional structures and systems, which disadvantage women, such as the recruitment, promotion and employment procedures, and prevalence of ‘old boys’ networks (ETAN Report, 2000; SET Fair Report, 2002; DTI, 2003; Wynarczyk and Renner, 2006; Powell et al., 2006; Wynarczyk, 2007; Sappleton and Takruri-Rizk, 2008). Changing the culture and destroying the stereotypes of both men and women in SET are both very crucial and difficult. It could be a very powerful intervention to raise awareness and understanding of men and women about such issues and become able to leverage that in order for the change to take place. This awareness raising has been the thrust of the main argument in terms of gender studies throughout the 1990s.The aim of this paper is to examine equality and diversity discourses pertaining to women’s participation in the SET workforce, and their career enhancement. The overall research question is as follows: What is the nature and extent of the equality and diversity interventions in order to advance women’s representation in the SET across Europe? More specifically, to what extent, and how do the awareness raising process and concomitant changes unfold as a part of gender equality and diversity discourses for the SET sectors? To address these questions, women’s participation in the SET workforce is analyzed through previous literature and recent statistics at the EU level. The cultural characteristics of SET sectors are discussed with an objective to highlight the significance of a cultural change as a major transformation for achieving gender equality and diversity in this area. Finally, gender equality and diversity interventions in SET are presented with a focus on the limitation