DTU
Diversity in technology
Finding New Ways to Solve Wicked Problems
Society’s greatest challenges are ’wicked problems’, whose interdependency and urgency make them immensely difficult to solve, IF we pursue traditional ways. 'Wicked problems', such as climate change, the pandemic, and inequality, are global challenges with a broad effect on societies. Finding solutions requires new ways of thinking through the inclusion of all (diverse) talent. According to United Nations, innovative technology is key to climate action. Yet in the technology field, there is a noticeable lack of diversity. This is a paradox. While current research show that diversity is important for innovation, this line of work is less clear on exactly how the socio-economic structures in place might be challenged. Consequently, this research project will explore how actors within the field work purposefully and reflectively to construct changes in their immediate context, as well as within the field more broadly.
The project explores how diversity in teams and organizations influences their ability to create social innovation; which institutionalized barriers exist within the technology field, and how actors within this field might work to change established structures to enable a greater use of diverse talent. In terms of diversity, the focus will be on gender and ethnicity specifically.
The project will provide an enhanced understanding of the complex mechanisms at play, while also providing insights into how the Danish technology field may become more diverse and equipped to tackle 'wicked problems' in the years to come.
The project is centered on two key areas of the technology field in Denmark: education and the start-up environment.
First, education plays a central role in the standardization and spread of practice. Therefore, sub-project A (PhD student Frida Hammel’s research project) focuses on engineering education at DTU and on exploring diversity in teams. The study will be carried out primarily as a qualitative study, including observation studies of the students’ work processes, interviews with students and the partner companies and document analysis, while comparing more and less diverse teams in real time.
Second, change and innovation are often initiated by organizations on the periphery, that are less constrained by established structures. Hence, sub-project B (Assistant Professor Thomas Burø’s research project) will investigate technology start-ups with a social innovation agenda, interviewing their founders, managers, and organizational members, as well as investors. Again, selecting organizations with more and less diversity in the organization in terms of gender and ethnicity.
Finally, the research team study field level dynamics in the technology field via observations of field configuring events, and interviews with social movement actors, including founders, investors, foundations, and professional organizations, who are working to change established structures to enable a greater use of diverse talent.
In combination, this research design allows us to gain an advanced understanding of the complex mechanisms at play, while also providing insights into how the Danish technology field may become more diverse and equipped to tackle wicked problems in the years to come.
Lærke Højgaard Christiansen ✉️
The project explores how diversity in teams and organizations influences their ability to create social innovation; which institutionalized barriers exist within the technology field, and how actors within this field might work to change established structures to enable a greater use of diverse talent. In terms of diversity, the focus will be on gender and ethnicity specifically.
The project will provide an enhanced understanding of the complex mechanisms at play, while also providing insights into how the Danish technology field may become more diverse and equipped to tackle 'wicked problems' in the years to come.
The project is centered on two key areas of the technology field in Denmark: education and the start-up environment.
First, education plays a central role in the standardization and spread of practice. Therefore, sub-project A (PhD student Frida Hammel’s research project) focuses on engineering education at DTU and on exploring diversity in teams. The study will be carried out primarily as a qualitative study, including observation studies of the students’ work processes, interviews with students and the partner companies and document analysis, while comparing more and less diverse teams in real time.
Second, change and innovation are often initiated by organizations on the periphery, that are less constrained by established structures. Hence, sub-project B (Assistant Professor Thomas Burø’s research project) will investigate technology start-ups with a social innovation agenda, interviewing their founders, managers, and organizational members, as well as investors. Again, selecting organizations with more and less diversity in the organization in terms of gender and ethnicity.
Finally, the research team study field level dynamics in the technology field via observations of field configuring events, and interviews with social movement actors, including founders, investors, foundations, and professional organizations, who are working to change established structures to enable a greater use of diverse talent.
In combination, this research design allows us to gain an advanced understanding of the complex mechanisms at play, while also providing insights into how the Danish technology field may become more diverse and equipped to tackle wicked problems in the years to come.
Sub-projects
Society’s greatest challenges are ‘wicked problems’ that are characterized by being tremendously difficult to solve due to their complexity and interrelatedness. Climate change, pandemics and inequality are examples of wicked problems, and to solve these issues, we need to address them in new ways. A way to address them is through ‘social innovation’, the process of developing and deploying solutions to challenging social and environmental issues.
Sub-project A: Solving Wicked Problems
The technology field plays an important role in developing solutions tackling ‘wicked problems’ through ‘social innovation’. However, the technology field faces a challenge: collaboration between people with diverse backgrounds and life experiences are essential for solving wicked problems, but the field lacks diversity in terms of gender and ethnicity.
This project sets out to shed further light on gender and ethnic diversity in the technology field by focusing on engineering education, as education plays a central role in establishing practices within the field. By paying attention to education, it is possible to explore norms and values while they are forming amongst students, and the project provides insights into the complex mechanism at play when students take part in constructing diversity practices that potentially will influence the technology field in the years to come.
The empirical setting of the project is DTU Engineering Technology, where fieldwork will be conducted amongst students going through social innovation processes at the DTU course ‘Innovation Pilot’. Grounded in fieldwork, the project sets out to answer how gender and ethnic diversity influence social innovation processes and their outcome, and how students construct professional identities within the technology field during social innovation processes. The questions will be answered by studying students’ work processes and outcomes in real time and by interviewing students of various genders and ethnicities.
With increased knowledge about the mechanisms at play in engineering education, the project has potential to influence the diversity practices in educational institutions with the purpose of stimulating diversity within the technology field in the long run and thereby make the field better equipped to tackle wicked problems.
Contact: Ph.d.-student Frida Hammel, DTU Management
Frida Hammel ✉️
This project sets out to shed further light on gender and ethnic diversity in the technology field by focusing on engineering education, as education plays a central role in establishing practices within the field. By paying attention to education, it is possible to explore norms and values while they are forming amongst students, and the project provides insights into the complex mechanism at play when students take part in constructing diversity practices that potentially will influence the technology field in the years to come.
The empirical setting of the project is DTU Engineering Technology, where fieldwork will be conducted amongst students going through social innovation processes at the DTU course ‘Innovation Pilot’. Grounded in fieldwork, the project sets out to answer how gender and ethnic diversity influence social innovation processes and their outcome, and how students construct professional identities within the technology field during social innovation processes. The questions will be answered by studying students’ work processes and outcomes in real time and by interviewing students of various genders and ethnicities.
With increased knowledge about the mechanisms at play in engineering education, the project has potential to influence the diversity practices in educational institutions with the purpose of stimulating diversity within the technology field in the long run and thereby make the field better equipped to tackle wicked problems.
Contact: Ph.d.-student Frida Hammel, DTU Management
Sub-Project B: Organizing diversity
While the technology field plays an important role in developing solutions tackling ‘wicked problems’, it has its own problems. Among these is the field’s lack of diversity in terms of gender and ethnicity, a problem which has been addressed by members of the field itself and which a range of organizations in the technology are trying to tackle. The technology field is in a process of change, but the questions is, what kind of change.
This project uses multi-site ethnographic fieldwork to study how organizations committed to increasing diversity work to this end. The project is thus engaging with tech startups that have already made up their minds and are actively organizing themselves with diversity, equity, and inclusion in mind. What happens? How do tech startups work to increase diversity? What kind of diversity? How do members of tech startups make sense of diversity work? As the diversity agenda is currently unfolding throughout the technology field, the project is uniquely positioned to study organized transformation in sito and in vivo.
The empirical setting of the ethnographic study will be a tech startup that have committed to increasing diversity and is trying to solve wicked problems. The project will construct case studies that will contribute to our understanding of how tech startups work to increase diversity. The project will thus shed light on the everyday practice of organizing diversity in the technology field.
Contact: Assistant professor Thomas Burø, DTU Engineering Technology
Thomas Burø ✉️
This project uses multi-site ethnographic fieldwork to study how organizations committed to increasing diversity work to this end. The project is thus engaging with tech startups that have already made up their minds and are actively organizing themselves with diversity, equity, and inclusion in mind. What happens? How do tech startups work to increase diversity? What kind of diversity? How do members of tech startups make sense of diversity work? As the diversity agenda is currently unfolding throughout the technology field, the project is uniquely positioned to study organized transformation in sito and in vivo.
The empirical setting of the ethnographic study will be a tech startup that have committed to increasing diversity and is trying to solve wicked problems. The project will construct case studies that will contribute to our understanding of how tech startups work to increase diversity. The project will thus shed light on the everyday practice of organizing diversity in the technology field.
Contact: Assistant professor Thomas Burø, DTU Engineering Technology
The Team
The team behind the research project 'Diversity in Technology':
Lærke Højgaard Christiansen, PhD, is associate professor at DTU and principal investigator of the project. Her research focuses on organizing for social issues, grand challenges and diversity.
Thomas Burø, PhD, is an assistant professor at DTU. He conducts research in organization, culture and activism.
Frida Hammel is a PhD student at DTU. She researches social innovation and diversity and conducts an ethnographic field study among engineering students at DTU.
Sille Bastrup is a research assistant on the project. She assists with data collection, processing and analysis.
LinkedIn 🌐
Lærke Højgaard Christiansen, PhD, is associate professor at DTU and principal investigator of the project. Her research focuses on organizing for social issues, grand challenges and diversity.
Thomas Burø, PhD, is an assistant professor at DTU. He conducts research in organization, culture and activism.
Frida Hammel is a PhD student at DTU. She researches social innovation and diversity and conducts an ethnographic field study among engineering students at DTU.
Sille Bastrup is a research assistant on the project. She assists with data collection, processing and analysis.
Mission & Funding
"Diversity in Technology: Finding New Ways to Solve Wicked Problems" is funded via a Carlsberg Foundation Semper Ardens Accelerate Fellowship to Associate Professor Lærke Højgaard Christiansen, DTU Management (Lead Researcher), the grant also include funding for a PhD-scholarship and an assistant professor.
Read a description of the project on the foundation’s website by clicking the link below.
Carlsberg Foundation Grant
Read a description of the project on the foundation’s website by clicking the link below.
Concluding event: Knowledge and stories from the ecosystem
Join us for a full-day event exploring the future of diversity in tech - where research becomes action.
The Diversity in Technology project invites you to a celebratory and forward-looking day at the Carlsberg Academy, as we present the findings from our three-year research project. We will share new insights on how ‘diversity’ is understood and practiced in Danish tech start-ups and engineering education— and invite you to take part in shaping the next chapter for diversity in the tech field.
What to expect:
Location: Carlsberg Academy, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 15, 1799 København V
Other: Breakfast, lunch, coffee, and snacks included (vegetarian)
The Diversity in Technology project invites you to a celebratory and forward-looking day at the Carlsberg Academy, as we present the findings from our three-year research project. We will share new insights on how ‘diversity’ is understood and practiced in Danish tech start-ups and engineering education— and invite you to take part in shaping the next chapter for diversity in the tech field.
What to expect:
- Key findings from the Diversity in Technology project
- Engaging presentations and artistic contributions
- Roundtable co-creation sessions focused on future initiatives
- Plenty of opportunity to engage in dialogue with other attendees
Location: Carlsberg Academy, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 15, 1799 København V
Other: Breakfast, lunch, coffee, and snacks included (vegetarian)
Toolbox
Here you can download our Diversity in technology toolbox, where you will find practical advice based on the research project.
