By Nicole Mueksch

Principal investigators
Amy Javernick-Will; Tony Tong

Funding
National Science Foundation (NSF)

Collaboration + support
Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering; Leeds School of Business; Cristina Poleacovschi of Iowa State; Sheng Wang of the University of Nevada Las Vegas

A recent study co-written by ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬÌýresearchers shows that how people seekÌýknowledge in the workplace might leave womenÌýdisadvantaged in male-dominated fields.

Published in the Journal of Management inÌýEngineering, the paper, written by professorsÌýAmy Javernick-Will (construction engineeringÌýand management) and Tony Tong (strategy,Ìýentrepreneurship and operations), found thatÌýwomen in the engineering field tend to ask moreÌýquestions to gain information, and seek thatÌýinformation from other women. In contrast, menÌýare less likely to ask questions, but when theyÌýdo, they seek out other men.

In fields like engineering, where the workforceÌýis 89% male, this could leave womenÌýdisadvantaged for career advancement.ÌýAdditionally, the researchers argue that notÌýwidely sharing knowledge across firms can harmÌýthe organization’s productivity.

As solutions, the researchers suggest promotingÌýa culture shift that encourages sharing expertiseÌýand implementing a peer sponsorship programÌýto pair colleagues with different backgrounds.


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