Orchestrating serendipity

Ann Uldridge explains the reasoning behind a new group for women in the biotechnology industry.

'Orchestrating serendipity' is a contradiction in terms -- serendipity, after all, is a gift for making useful discoveries by accident -- but a dynamic new group, called Women in Biotech (WIB), is aiming to create an ambience that will foster those accidental discoveries.

We often come across the phenomenon. In scientific discovery, many major breakthroughs have included an element of chance. Searches of the web on one topic often lead to the discovery of unexpected, useful gems in seemingly unrelated topics. In business, the 'water-cooler effect' is a recognised phenomenon that occurs when two or more people have chance, informal conversations and generate groundbreaking ideas.

Serendipity is part of WIB's strategy. Through cultivating a diverse membership and holding a wide range of events, it expects 'lucky', valuable connections to occur. The formation of WIB itself is a case in point -- I am an ICT industry veteran, and past president of the Women in Technology association, and joined Anne-Marie Birkill (CEO, i.lab) and Jane Andrews (chief operating officer, Implicit Bioscience) to invite a group of colleagues to discuss aims and objectives for a new network. Rather than initiating a completely new legal structure, WIB opted to incorporate under the umbrella of the highly successful and active Women in Technology (WIT) association. It also decided to forge a strong alliance with the pre-eminent biotechnology association in Australia, AusBiotech.

WIB was officially launched in Brisbane last month with the following objectives:

• Extend women's networks in biotech and related fields.
• Provide opportunities for formal and informal mentoring and career development.
• Provide professional development opportunities, both formal and informal.
• Provide forums for problem solving/brainstorming and cross-fertilisation across disciplines.
• Support the efforts of AusBiotech and others to inform and advise government.
• Encourage secondary students to pursue science and technology-based careers.
• Showcase a range of individuals -- not just high-profile women.
• Promote the suitability of board-ready women for appointment to corporate and government boards.

The proportion of women entering and thriving in the fields of science, engineering and technology has always been low -- it is still typically below 40 per cent, and according to the Graduate Careers Council of Australia, in some areas as low as 8 per cent. The reasons are too complex to canvass here, but through activities such as the Role Models in Schools program, WIB intends to chip away at the negative stereotypes held by girls regarding science and technology occupations.

Even though WIB is primarily for women, it wishes to create opportunities for ongoing dialogues between the genders with the objectives of exploring differences in the gender values, work styles and language uses between men and women, in order to promote mixed gender teams which communicate better. WIB events are also an opportunity for men to experience what it feels like to be in the minority!

These dialogues will also canvass ways in which to encourage both men and women to access family-friendly working arrangements. When we have a critical mass of men who wish to work part-time to enable them to share family responsibilities (or for other reasons), perhaps both men and women will stop feeling marginalised or have their employers believe that part-time work indicates that they do not care about their career. It will become the new norm, and perhaps the most creative and productive employees might just be those who have strong interests outside work.

Attitude to risk is another attribute believed to be different between men and women, with the widespread view being that women are more risk-averse than men. While research results are mixed, it has been shown that women often fail to apply for higher positions when they can't 'tick all the boxes'. In similar situations, where men might only be able to tick five out of 10, they still try. Through its career support, mentoring and appropriate workshops, WIB aims to assist its members to achieve their full career potential.

WIB will also expand WIT's successful track record into the biotech arena. WIT's programs and successes include:

• Role Models for Schools: This is a program aimed at schoolchildren with the intent of encouraging them to undertake tertiary science or technology studies leading to careers in the same fields. There have been four successful role models events attended by a total of more than 2500 girls and boys. In July this year, 1600 students attended a variety of sessions, tripling the participation from 2004.
• Industry Scholarships and Awards: This is the largest state-based program of its kind in Australia, having grown each year from its beginnings in 1997. More than 80 scholarships and awards have been presented since the program's inception, and this year more than $120,000 in prizes will be awarded. The program has been supported by the Queensland state government as well as private industry.
• Board Readiness: This program is designed for women who have the desire to apply their personal and professional skills to serve as non-executive directors. Participants are provided with the opportunity to showcase their skills to some of Queensland's highest profile organisations. Two successful programs have been run to date with a total of 18 participants, leading to a number of board appointments.
• Career Management Program and Coaching: There were 14 participants in 2004, of whom seven have since gained full-time industry employment, or been promoted as a result of their career planning strategies.

Innovation thrives in diverse groups. We need to support each other in working in non-traditional roles, and in non-traditional organisational forms, because it's the 'new eyes' that see challenges from different perspectives and devise innovative solutions.

WIB's 'orchestrated serendipity' strategy aims to add value to its corporate and individual members by providing a variety of forums to facilitate 'lucky' discoveries. In the long term, it hopes to make a contribution to maximising the value of our national intellectual capacity.

As Anne-Marie Birkill comments, "The seeds of a successful biotech future already exist in our biotech community. It is not some far-off dream, but something we create day by day, here and now. It is in both women's and Australia's best interests for women to participate equally with men, at the research and business coalfaces and at decision-making levels within their organisations."

More information: Kim Roy, Operations Manager, Women in Technology. Tel: (07) 3315 5357, www.wit.org.au