Women in IT leadership positions: industry specifics

This thesis examines the position of women in IT leadership roles, with a focus on Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). The aim of the thesis is to identify the factors that support or constrain the career progression of women in this specific sector. Particular emphasis is placed on comparing the experiences of women working in HPE's Czech office and in the wider EMEA region, with the aim of identifying how local environments differ in perceptions of support, equality of opportunity and leadership style. The research questions focus on identifying the barriers women face in leadership positions, the role of gender stereotypes, the extent to which women use mentoring, coaching and sponsorship, and how women perceive their own leadership style and its evolution over time. The theoretical part of the thesis explains the concepts of the glass ceiling, the glass cliff, gender equality and different leadership styles, while the practical part uses secondary data analysis combined with primary data analysis using a quantitative and qualitative approach, namely a questionnaire survey across company employees and in-depth interviews with six women in leadership positions. The conclusions of the thesis show that despite some challenges related to gender stereotypes, the Czech branch of HPE shows significant efforts to support women in leadership roles. Both in the Czech and EMEA region, there are a number of positive examples of good practice that show a growing sensitivity to diversity and equality issues. Initiatives to support women, such as development programmes, mentoring opportunities and internal communities, are available and open to all who are interested in getting involved. Although not all female employees are aware of these iniciatives, their presence creates the potential for further improvement. Overall, HPE's Czech office has a solid foundation for building an inclusive work environment and is showing positive developments towards greater gender balance.