[ad_1]
They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself, said Radical Change founder and CEO Vonda Page, citing one of her favorite artists, Andy Warhol, during her recent presentation at the Infotec 2021 virtual conference.
What types of changes occur over time without any effort? he asked rhetorically, preparing to respond with an intuition amplified by his understatement: I can’t think of any at all.
Page describes herself as an advocate of STEMinistan for greater diversity, equity and inclusion in the traditionally male-dominated disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It encourages companies to reimagine innovation as more than the domination of new products and processes, but as a collective effort of the imagination that is sustained, ambitious and inextricably linked to the progress of society.
(The innovation is) about finding that unheard of or whimsical idea that, once adopted, could spur significant and radical change, he said.
The page is no stranger to change. In an interview with SPN last week, she said she was always one of the first to adopt the new technology.
As the 10th grader, the future entrepreneur got a position in a small insurance office. A few days after his first job, the company bought a fax machine (it was 1984). However, the Pages boss didn’t want to read the huge operations manual that came with it. So, he asked her to understand him and then to teach him.
He would go on to become the de facto troubleshooter for the rest of the office whenever his employer bought new hardware or software. In college and graduate school, he worked in restaurants and hotels and began to wonder how new technologies, facilities, and systems have impacted people.
(For example) how does the new ordering system affect the dishwasher? Oh, no one even thought it could impact the dishwasher, because you think it only affects the waitress taking the order or the chef preparing it, she said.
This interest in the intersection of people and technology has laid the foundation for a solid career that has led her to roles in various companies, ranging from web developer to organizational change manager. He describes the latter as someone who positions teams and companies for success so that change doesn’t suck.
Her most recent role in the payment processing giant Paypal has allowed her to develop a connection with Omaha that continues into the current stage of her journey as an entrepreneur.
What I’ve always liked is the integration of technology into business, he said. You can’t really separate the two.
In 2020, as the pandemic escalated and widespread protests over violence against blacks dominated the headlines, Page launched Radical Change, a startup focused on learning, coaching and consulting services.
Technology can be intimidating, especially for girls and women, even nowadays because it’s still a male-dominated profession, (especially) highly technical jobs like engineering, where we haven’t increased the number of women in those roles over the past 20 years that we keep statistics on it, he said.
In fact, the Society of Women Engineers found that only 30% of women who earn an engineering degree are still working in the profession 20 years later. While multiple reasons could explain this such as motherhood, a change in interests or opportunities, retirement and so on, at least 30% of women who left the profession cited the organizational climate as a reason.
Page offered a possible explanation for the gender disparity in highly technical roles: it’s a communication thing and it’s a style.
He noted that many men who work in technology tend to enjoy themselves by focusing a lot on a specific technical skill. This leads them to not having as many interactions with different people, while she believes that women enjoy working with others more.
Many women nowadays hold roles such as product manager, program manager and other roles where you are not only focused on technology, but need to have a complete and total vision, and having that total vision has the most impact when … a great deal of effort or a great deal of work.
Of course, he said, women deal with things men don’t, like being judged on looks, tone of voice, and other superficialities. But, he added, sometimes this can actually be an advantage.
You really have to put your voice on the table because you don’t have as many opportunities to speak up, he said. You have to listen, understand and add value relatively quickly.
That said, Page chose the AIM Institute and Prairie STEM to “look the bigger picture” and work to strengthen and diversify the IT workforce, something she has long been interested in as a mentor to young women and people of color in the technology.
Throughout my career, being a black woman, I’ve always been the only one, and so I’ve always gravitated towards mentoring young people (and helping them understand it) even though there aren’t many people who look like you, you still belong to this. place, she said. They all belong to technology.
To view Page’s Infotec 2021 keynote address, visit the AIM Institute YouTube channel.
[ad_2]
picture credit