Women cite decision making as both strength and challenge

A recent survey of female technologists by career portal and networking site womenintechnology.co.uk showed that 55% of women thought that they influenced their manager’s decision making well or really well. However many also cited convincing and influencing management as their biggest challenge with regards to decision making in the workplace.

The survey, undertaken ahead of womenintechnology’s “Clever Decision Making” event, also found that the majority of women in IT (88%) enjoy making decisions and being responsible for them. When asked about their main difficulties with decision making, another common answer was having the confidence that their decision was the right one, and making this decision quickly and effectively. One respondent commented “I can spend too long analysing and weighing up the pros and cons”, whilst another said “I do often find it difficult, after weighing up the positives and negatives of each, to feel confident about the decision I’ve made and always wonder ‘what if?’ with the other options – I’d like to be less hesitant.” Another similar concern of the women was making sure they had all the necessary information and were fully informed to make the decision well.

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“It’s great to see that the majority of the women we surveyed feel positively about something that so many people struggle with” says Director of womenintechnology.co.uk, Maggie Berry. “What is really interesting is how many of the respondents commented that they wanted to make sure they had all the information and had considered all options before they made a final decision. This is a prime example of how women are less prone to taking risks than men, another reason why a gender balance is so vital to a successful team. Our upcoming event aims to give the audience some top tips on how they can improve their decision making skills for the future.”

“Clever Decision Making” will be co-hosted by Bank of America, and held at the Merrill Lynch Financial Centre in London on 27th October. The keynote speaker is Julia Thrul, Founder of V.G.L. Ltd and there will also be a panel Q&A and networking session.