IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2019 - 27

dimensions: among their colleagues, in
local academic institutions and businesses, and in global partnerships.
Workplace philosophies have a significant impact on expanding engineers'
capacities and sensitivities. One such
philosophy is learning by doing, which
encourages creation. Plato said that
those who craft and create are "poets"
(Sennett, 2008). This kind of poetry,
which includes engineering, has been a
characteristic of people throughout the
history of human development (Washburn, 2013).
"Usually," says one of the engineers,
for whom creating is a pleasure and a
fulfillment, "you arrive at a point where
you know what you want to do. Then,
through prototyping, you understand
better what is correct and what parts
or components you need to remove or
improve." As fresh graduates with little
experience, the young women approach
learning through doing as an essential way to improve their skills. They
stress, make any number of mistakes,
grapple with one system for months, ask
for guidance, read numerous research
papers, and just stare at their monitors
for answers. Through it all, they prepare
numerous dishes in the slow cooker in
the pantry, consume enthusiastically in
true Malaysian style, and enjoy collegiality with conversation and laughter.
The institute's multidisciplinarity, a
term we coined to describe the organization's cultural fabric of the mingling
of different disciplines, creates a diverse
knowledge environment. This diversity
comes together in collaborations, conversations, discussions, teaching, and
learning. For example, over a period of
some months, the institute hosted an
in-house presentation of classic papers
of yesteryear that had had a tremendous
impact on science, technology, and philosophy. Presentations were prepared by
institute engineers, with guidance from
researchers, and, through question and
answer sessions, participants learned to
examine a subject from different perspectives. Our young women engineers
consider these sessions to be enlightening, yet their responses indicate that
they are ill prepared to critically examine

concepts from various points of view.
fessional qualifications. According to the
The level of discussion required to be
young women, being an engineer should
multiperspective was not conveyed to
be gender neutral, and having to choose
them through their education, and even
between being a woman or an engineer
though they grasp the benefits of multishould not be acceptable. Rather, they
disciplinarity, they still do not consider it
think, an engineer should be judged
to be a skill set they must develop.
only by his or her work.
Our work environment is based on
an open-space floor plan, with opporDiscussion
tunities for both research and entrepreFaulkner (Faulkner, 2009) asserted that
neurship. The institute is separated into
recruitment alone would not solve the
three sections: workplace, office space,
problem of underutilizing women in
and The Hangout (the entrepreneurial
male-dominated work environments
hub). The open-space concept is willingbut that a change in workplace culture
ly embraced by all of the engineers, even
is required. Our engineers are employed
though there can be a struggle
in a female-majority environwith the desire for privacy.
ment; among 33 staff memThe new
They are encouraged by
bers, only eight are male.
the amount of freeThis excludes seven
graduates are able
dom for open comstart-up teams, with
to develop their selfmunication, and they
15 cofounders. Engiesteem amid
reflect that it creates a
neer s work t hree
the institute's culture
bridge for easy bondshifts of their choice,
of learning
ing. Our observations
between 8 a.m. and
revealed that the open
12 a.m.-although the
by doing.
space creates a tensioninstitute's research body
free environment for them
operates 24/7.
because it is conducive to buildThe institute promotes divering partnerships in everything they do.
sity by encouraging researchers from
The entrepreneurial hub consists of
various parts of the world, gathering
several all-male start-up teams. Though
scholars from Africa, Asia, Australia,
the young women engineers interact
Europe, and North America. At the
socially with members of these teams,
same time, the institute promotes incluthey did not demonstrate a willingness
siveness through positive recruitment
to share their experiences or volunprograms, a wholesome workplace enviteer to listen to their ideas. Although
ronment, and thoughtful policies. The
the computer engineers expressed
organization has a recruitment program
their future ambitions of launching a
that advances women in engineering,
business, we observed that they rarely
an environment that strongly discourengaged with the start-up teams.
ages bigotry and guarantees security,
Being at once a woman and an engiand policies that makes the work envineer is an issue that is somewhat conronment and recruitment procedures
fusing for our engineers. For one thing,
productive. As an example, in November
they do not work in an environment
2017, the institute initiated a "bring your
that compels them to assert their probaby to work" policy, which encourfessional identity, as women are in the
ages mothers to take their breastfeedmajority in their workplaces, which is
ing babies along with them. Since the
uncommon in Malaysian research enviworkforce consists of newly married or
ronments. Would they be compelled to
engaged females, this policy creates a
stand up for their identity as engineers
welcoming work environment. The instiif the work environment were male
tute also generally practices a friendly
dominated? Some of our young women
attitude toward bringing children to
asserted that they might have to do this
work when some parents are facing difif their workplace instituted policies that
ficulties with day care. Thus, the organirequired them to emphasize their prozation's management has established a

JUNE 2019

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2019