Naomi Ceder - Antipatterns for Diversity
Channel: EuroPython Conference
Date: 2015-08-03

Naomi Ceder - Antipatterns for Diversity
[EuroPython 2015]
[23 July 2015]
[Bilbao, Euskadi, Spain]

**Stop doing the same thing but expecting different results**

As developers we put considerable effort into optimisation. We are
always tinkering, trying to make things better, and striving to remove
antipatterns from our code and our development processes.

Yet for some reason we have not been as good at applying this spirit
of optimisation to the problem of increasing diversity, even though
most people these days agree that, like good tests, agile
methodologies, and virtual environments, diversity is a "good thing".

My position is that just as there is no single easy way to write good
code there is no single easy way to increasing diversity. There are,
however, several things that companies and organisations do which
actually work against diversity. This talk will explore these
antipatterns for diversity, including uncritical belief in
meritocracy, lack of understanding of the realities of
marginalisation, null processes, misunderstanding of "culture fit",
and an unwillingness to change, as well as some ways that teams,
companies, and organisations might work to combat them.