A third of Russian startups in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field are led by women, according to a study by the Higher School of Economics at the National Research University. At the same time, the majority of experts surveyed (55.6%) believe that there is a problem with the representation of female managers in STEM companies.
According to the HSE FEST 2023 expert survey, women are still a minority (30%) in management positions at startups. 55.6% of the experts confirmed that there is a problem with the representation of senior managers in this area, while another third (33.3%) consider it insignificant. Only 11% indicate that there is no problem.
Around 20% of respondents value the management skills of women above those of men.
For the majority of the managers participating in the study, the current project is the first one they manage (73.3%). 26.7% already have relevant experience.
Management methodologies
The majority of respondents use several methodologies at the same time. These are Kanban, Scrumban, Six Sigma, Scrum and CPM (critical path method).
42.2% of study participants in the top 100 prefer “flexible” management methodologies (agile approach). The most popular method was Kanban, used by 28.6% of respondents.
There are also those who prefer traditional project management methods. The waterfall is chosen by 7.1% of respondents.
Key soft skills
73% of respondents included leadership qualities among the top 3 soft skills for managers. The same number mentioned the ability to build relationships within the company. And 66% of the top 3 indicated resistance to stress.
In addition, experts highlighted qualities such as systematic thinking (60%), multitasking and communication skills (53%) and high adaptability (46%). Only 6.7% indicated empathy and strategic thinking.
The survey was carried out within the framework of the Russian festival of university technology projects HSE FEST 2023. A survey was carried out among managers included in the top 100 startups.
Author:
Natalia Gormaleva
Source: RB
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