Digitisation and diversity are the major themes of the Speaker Tijen Onaran. Why your network is “Global Digital Women” provides for Frauenn new career opportunities, she explains at the world women’s day in the DW-Interview.
On your profile Tijen Onaran on 17 job: the aspiring politician, who ran with 20 for the state legislature, to the founder of the international women’s network”Global Digital Women”. Their Jobs in the policy have been, to encourage women to take advantage of digitization as a career opportunity. Tijen Onaran is Speaker, (Gender) a business consultant and passionate Networkerin, which is especially the case for diversity. She has a Muslim Background, grew up in Germany, and to a Catholic girls ‘ school. Her first book “The networking Bible is published Ten commandments of successful Networking”. Your goal: a great and competent women to bring together and to make it in male-dominated industries. Why the digitisation plays a major role, she says in a DW Interview.
DW:Ms. Onaran, you have created the network of Global Digital Women four years ago to connect women in the digital industry and make it visible. Why does it need this special network?
Events in the digital context are mostly very male. In the case of panel discussions on “artificial intelligence”, or “Blockchain” sit often male experts. Also in the media, I have noticed that many of the stories of founders and non-founder to be told. This is changing now, but that was not a point, has led me four years ago to connect the women only, but also to organize events to these competent women to bring together analog. Thus, you will be visible.
It is important that you tell your own story. I firmly believe that anyone who is visible is not found. Back when we started, there were twelve women who came to our first Event, we now have a Community of over 30 000 women.
They have established in the past year, in addition to the online magazine “FemaleOneZero” to disseminate women’s stories and digital…
Our events are to be sustainable. I don’t want the women to network there quite a lot to accumulate Knowledge, and that was that. I wanted to the document permanently. Since we have been thinking about starting an online magazine, which also appears in English in order to be in this way, the global concept of the Global Digital Women’s network just. There we will form our events, but also the stories of exciting women.
For example, women from Morocco, India, or entrepreneurs from Africa. With regard to entrepreneurship and digital Expertise, as it is in the African region, much more than here in Germany. I find interesting that I want to depict, to show also German women in countries does not, of which it is expected it might be.
What networks mean to you personally?
For me, networking means freedom, but also independence. This independence, I do not find particularly for the countries of exciting that the issue of women’s rights and equality is still as strong on their Agenda, where there are restrictions. Nowadays, I can expand my network. The digital channels provide me with an access and democratize our society.
How does this help the network’s Global Digital Women women specifically?
Once we organize events in different cities, where women meet exciting personalities, some of which are already in high positions and as a role model.
In order to make the women visible, we have also launched an Award, the “Digital Female Leader Award”, the women, the digitization of shape or design. There are also Portraits of them in magazines and you get a certain amount of expert status will then appear.
Tijen Onaran helps companies to be more attractive to women
We also advise the companies as to how the topic of diversity can be implemented. It begins with designing a job advertisement, you want to reach more women. We are also working to ensure that the companies occupy about panel discussions on digital topics with competent women from the organization, and the experts not only in the Board-level search.
These are companies that want to increase their quota of women have or should have?
Most of the time you were instructed, due to the women’s quota act. In the second step, you will notice that it is really important. As a new Generation of us women, but also men. Both sexes say now, for me, the more exciting the employer, not based on Diversity. By this I mean not only the quota for women, but also cross-generational Teams, and Teams consisting of people from different countries.
Alone from this Talent-Management perspective, companies realize that they need to change something. Otherwise, you will not get more talents, because nowadays all the possibilities of this world.
Your network is focused on visibility and career. This seems to be in men more common than in women. There is an expectation that women focus more on social networks?
In women, it goes relatively quickly to an action that closes together. There is something we must fight. It is not about to take the next step in your career. I think this is a very goal-oriented networks, which often leads to networks is landed in this bad Image of “nepotism”, many women foreign. I can understand that, but that’s why I am also so much for a “professional” networks, where it is a question of what I want to achieve professionally, where I want to go, and with whom I have things together. This has nothing to do circles with these male-dominated, where you look only whom I need and whom I need and how do I get rid of the then. It is a network with sustainability.
I think it’s great when I see in our network, by the Award of the women in the company rise also. Then I have the feeling that it changed really a bit. These societal, economic and also political claim I have.
You have just brought your first book out, “The networking Bible”, where they give assistance to the networks. It’s about the visibility and how to build his network in the company. Networks we have in Germany different?
Absolutely! Especially because the network theme is still common in this dirty corner. Many ask me, it is not always this opaque thing, where Jobs are awarded? I think that has changed. A pure network without power is nothing, but absolute power without a network also brings nothing. It is always a matter of Give and Take. But in Germany I always have the feeling that it has to be organized. I have to go to an event, there must be an organization that develops a network format, where I can then participate.
Global Digital Women is such a Format. Their events are for men too interesting…
Yes, especially for men, the use for diversity. Especially for the topics with a strong digital focus such as artificial intelligence. Then the question always comes: “Can I participate as a man too,” and then I always say: “Yes, of course.” That would be the Moment is just Wrong to exclude men.
I once said, I’m working on the abolition of my own organization. I’m actually working on it, that the issue is at some point obsolete that we no longer need to stress is that it needs more women in leadership positions or in the digital industry. To achieve that, and I want to integrate also the men with their point of view on things. I think it’s important to take the with into the boat, so strongly to the topic of diversity – that are still not so many.
The conversation Gaby Reucher.
“The networking Bible: Ten commandments for successful Networking” by Tijen Onaran appeared at the beginning of 2019, Springer Verlag.