#bbuzz: Myrle Krantz & Claire Barnhoorn – How Women in Open Source Lead in Times of COVID-19
Channel: Plain Schwarz
Date: 2020-06-25

More: https://berlinbuzzwords.de/session/how-women-open-source-lead-times-covid-19

2020 has heightened our attention for multiple difficult problems without clear solutions including the COVID-19 pandemic, a global economic downturns, and police violence.  These problems fit the pattern of "Wicked Problems" as originally described by Rittel and Weber in 1973.  Wicked Problems, are systemic problems without a clear formulation, and without clear solutions.  Despite the difficulties in understanding and solving these problems, some organizations are better equipped than others for making progress on them.  Surprisingly, many of these organizations share a common hallmark: the ability to promote women into positions of leadership.

I will explain what Wicked Problems are, look at examples where we are succeeding at mitigating these problems, and examine commonalities that arise across successful approaches.  Then I will present two examples in which Women in Open Source, Open Data, and Open Standards are helping to make the world a better place both in the context of COVID-19, and in the context of the broader problems humanity faces.