Retaining Women in Engineering: The Empowerment of Lean Development (Women of STEM)

Diversity drives better business results; however, despite decades of effort, women make up only 15% of engineers. Retaining Women in Engineering: The Empowerment of Lean Development approaches the problem of women leaving engineering from a systems-level perspective to change the way engineering is done and level the playing field between men and women.

This book utilizes the six principles of Lean Development and draws from the learnings of the field of medicine, recognizing that access to a vast amount of written knowledge is an important part of a physician’s learning process. Using these principles, the book provides leaders with concrete strategies and methods to change the way engineering is done and learning occurs. Integrated within the book are "gray box stories" which describe two different worlds that engineers work in: that of traditional development and that of Lean Development. These stories underscore the way that the gender confidence gap, bias, and stereotypes affect a female engineer’s career. Additionally, the book highlights how the methods of Lean Development strengthen an individual’s ability to control their learning and career, and a leader’s ability to coach others more effectively. Ultimately, this results in more capable teams. Furthermore, not unlike the marine chronometer (a clock) which solved the centuries old challenge of establishing the longitudinal location for a ship at sea, this book finds the "clock" that levels the playing field between men and women.

This book will help leaders at every level within an engineering firm, as well as women engineers and managers who want to grow to their full potential, and others who care about gender equity.

Robert N. Stavig, Brush Prairie, WA

During his 35 year career with Hewlett-Packard, Bob spent the last twenty years in Product Research and Development in various management and technical roles, where he utilized the principles and methods of Lean Development in the delivery of nearly a dozen areas of work within product programs, process development, and technical asset development. In addition, Bob has fifteen years of experience in the areas of: manufacturing development, factory support, factory operational management, and worldwide manufacturing leadership. Bob has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University and is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt through American Society of Quality. Bob has a certification in Lean Development from University of Michigan and is a Certified Scrum Master.

Alissa R. Stavig, MD, Billings, MT

Alissa received her Doctor of Medicine from Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC in 2017. In 2022 she graduated with a combined five-year residency program in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, from Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, NC. Alissa’s training includes clinical experiences in inpatient and outpatient settings in both disciplines as well as educational experiences in advocacy, interdisciplinary and integrated healthcare, quality improvement, and medical education. During her training in residency, she experienced the benefit of developing clinical and leadership skills through a system with graduated responsibility which included leading clinical teams of medical students and first year residents.