The Need to Innovate Innovation: The Gender Gap Problem
Paradox
An innovation theory meta-paradox currently reigns: while innovation theory proclaims creativity is often developed on the fringes, innovation theory is still dominated by white men both through its praised exemplars (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg) and theorists (Buchanan, Brown, Kelley, Rogers and other names unique to that circle). I want to be sure to include the voices of women and ethnic minorities in my work both out of a sense of justice, but also heeding innovation theory knowing that the next development in innovation studies will most likely come from such a voice.
Other than the anecdotal evidence of the Elon Musks and Jeff Bezoses of the domain (Forbes’s tie for most innovative leader of 2019), consider the following:
- 3% of technology start-ups are led by women (Sloane).
- 18% of patents are filed in women’s names (Sloane).
- Codex lists only 10 out of 50 women as top innovators in 2019.
- Even worse, Forbes doesn’t list a single woman in their top 50 most innovative leaders, and only 1 in their top 100 (#75). This is based on media reputation for innovation, social connections, track record for value creation and investor expectations for value creation.
At the same time:
- Gender diversity within R&D teams is positively related to radical innovation (Belghiti-Mahut).
- New research suggests innovation is 6 times higher at companies where men and women are treated most equally (Hess).
- Although there are far fewer women-led private technology companies there is some evidence that the ones that exist are more successful. They are more capital-efficient, achieve 35 percent higher return on investment, and, when venture-backed, bring in 12 percent higher revenue than male-owned tech companies (Sloane).
As one innovation theorist puts it, “If we want more and better innovation in our firms and across our economy then we have to face up to the innovation gender gap and find innovative ways to remove it” (Sloane).
Possibility
The myth of the lone genius is widely debunked at this point. The future of innovating around the world’s most complex problems will entail radical collaboration. The traits that will be championed, praised, and sought after will be empathy (a deep understanding of the human condition and need), the ability to collaborate, and nuanced communication. I am going to risk here by making some generalizations about the genders here. I believe that the needed traits are begging for women to take the helm and lead a culture marked by empathy, collaboration and communication. The maverick or cowboy approach to the male-dominated innovation sector is a bygone era, and it is time for a reimagined future.
Prophetic Call
Christianity contains the resources to live out this call both as Christian leaders in the “secular” workplace and within Christian organizations. Though Christianity has its own tainted history with gender equality, authors like Katia Adams and Lucy Peppiatt give hope for a mutualistic future. It will take a rebuilding of the ruins, to borrow Adams’s extended metaphor.
Peppiatt also provides a helpful metaphor for creative endeavors pointing out that the Father-Son language within the Trinity is a “rich and generative metaphor for God” (23).
When used of male and female relations, creation – procreation most obviously – and other creative activity is a result of the equal work of men and women. In other words, the generative work of innovation for the common good is at its best when men and women are bringing all they are as equals.
While these authors focus on leadership within marriage and the church, their principles can easily be extended to other domains and institutions. Adams makes the case for men needing gender equality, not just women:
Not only does this significantly impact the women in the church, but if it is true that God saw that it was ‘not good’ for Adam to be alone and that he would need a suitable counterpart to achieve all that he was made for, then undermining women’s roles in the body of Christ has severe repercussions for our men too. In that case, renewing our minds around God’s intention when He made Eve is neither a women’s issue nor following a feminist agenda. It is crucial to the destiny of men for women to understand who they really are (and vice versa)… (29).
These authors are amazingly economical and persuasive in building their arguments. With a command of biblical languages, nuance, and expert-level walkthrough of key texts, Adams and Peppiatt build a compelling case for gender equality. The challenge for these authors specifically and mutualists/egalitarians generally is that in the process of arguing for equality in the genders, it becomes challenging to distinguish God-given, differing traits of the two genders. I commend Larry Crabb’s Fully Alive: A Biblical Vision of Gender that Frees Men and Women to Live Beyond Stereotypes as a complement to these texts as a brilliant attempt to address the differences in gender in a mutualistic framework. (Teaser: It is about revealing God by the way we relate where men are characterised by “moving” and women by “inviting.”)
Everyone benefits from gender equality: women need it, men need it, the church needs it, and the world needs it. It’s the same for innovation. Women need to be platformed in innovative companies and the way paved for STEM education and other areas dominated by men; Men need to learn from the relational proficiencies of women (among other things); Institutions become more innovative and benefit from more equality among the gender both in culture and “the bottom line;” And the victims and those in need due to society’s most pressing and systemic problems are at stake in narrowing this gap.
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Abigail Hess, “New research suggests innovation is 6 times higher at companies where men and women are treated most equally,” CNBC, accessed March 17 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/08/research-finds-that-companies-with-gender-equity-are-more-innovative.html.
Paul Sloane, “The Innovation Gender Gap,” Destination Innovation, accessed March 17 2020, https://www.destination-innovation.com/the-innovation-gender-gap/.
Sophia Belghiti-Mahut, Anne-Laurence Lafont, and Ouidad Yousfi, “Gender Gap in Innovation: A Confused Link?”, Journal of Innovation Economics & Management, vol. 19, no. 1, 2016, pp. 159-177.
“World’s Top 50 Innovators 2019,” Codex, accessed March 17, 2020,. https://www.codex.com/worlds-top-50-innovators-2019/.
“America’s Most Innovative Leaders,” Forbes, accessed March 17, 2020, https://www.forbes.com/lists/innovative-leaders/#76ed2a4526aa.
Katia Adams, Equal: What the Bible Says about Women, Men, and Equality (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2019).
Lucy Peppiatt, Rediscovering Scripture’s Vision for Women: Fresh Perspectives on Disputed Texts (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2019).
About the Author
Shawn Cramer
8 responses to “The Need to Innovate Innovation: The Gender Gap Problem”
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Shawn, innovation like every other field is a mixed bag. I guess we would call it a sense of privilege when we’re unaware of these differences to the extent that we don’t notice until we’ve done a deep dive into a topic.
What’s been the history of women in leadership within Cru? As someone who’s worked in the R&D and innovation department, how have you sought to integrate women’s voices into the work of Cru?
While Cru has stance of equal leadership among the genders, it comes from a strong complementarian founding and is still dealing with that history. There is a leadership gap at the moment, but in the meantime have several women on R&D teams in hopes to raise up/recruit more voices.
This work is seasoning, Shawn. I’m loving it. Keep going!
Thanks for bringing into the conversation the reality that men need equality as much as women do. It seems to me that the assumption of the eternal headship of men has crushed our souls. Equity may be the healing salve.
You make an argument for women to lead the way in innovation moving forward. Assuming that you continue to break new territory within your current organization, what do you see as your role in creating space for this to happen? And what are you willing to sacrifice in order to bring this conviction to life?
Here’s one proposed shift I delivered today: From Male-Dominated to More Diversity. The traits that will be championed, praised, and sought after in the future of innovation practice will be empathy, the ability to collaborate, and nuanced communication. I believe that the needed traits are begging for women to be a vital part of leadership (if not “the” leader). While all of Cru could grow in diversity, R&D, due to it’s cutting edge nature, should be leading in this area.
“Everyone benefits from gender equality: women need it, men need it, the church needs it, and the world needs it.” Wow, that’s good!
I find it interesting in the senior adults I minister among that it is the women who are more dominant in conversing, serving, and praying (by far) than men. Most of the men… just sit there waiting to be served. Maybe I have a bad perspective and maybe they are less able, but nope!
The leadership these lovely, confident women provide makes this ministry possible!
I appreciated the thought (can’t remember which book now) that shifted the idea of God as “father” from a gender identification to that of a relationship. In other words, it was never meant to be understood that God was male, but instead to offer hope that God was present, close, near. Somewhere along the line, we have seized upon what we assume to be God’s gender and used that to create structures of dominance. I wonder what would happen if we could reclaim a more basic understanding of God’s presence.
Shawn,
Great balanced blog. Thanks for pointing out the aspect of men and women not only needing one another in churches but multiple areas of life. We live in a country that pushes and enforces the importance of individual rights, individual identities and individual success. Do you see this constant obsession with individuality a hindrance to innovation? How does it hinder or strengthen the health of the organization?
Kinda blown away by the stats you shared. Thank you for helping vision of the ‘matter-of-fact’ that way.
Decreasing the gender gap. I wonder about adjustments in ways that doesn’t encourage a painful pendulum shift?
Margaret Wheatley portrays a kind of leadership that I think lends to a new style that different types/kinds of men and women will find place in (ref. A Simpler Way). There are others ascribing to a new, fluid, innovative styles. Susan Cain’s, ‘Quiet’, is in the boat too.
Broadening perspectives beyond the striving and loudness to the character, integrity of individuals. The Cowboy and Wonder Woman can come in all different tones, some of lesser intensity but, wonderful innovative capability. The nature of leadership needs to shift and, I think that will mean more women in leadership, an equalling out. On another level, I think for our progress (communally, globally) new, level, grounded leadership will call for a different ‘kind’ of person.