April 23, 2008
7th Annual Spring Symposium

Lisamarie Babik

Jim Rodgers

• share a model in which companies can expirement with increasing diversity in their teams by making small changes to the team composition
  
  
• explore some of the challenges that occur due to cultural vocabulary differences and cultural expectations in the workplace
  
  
• reviewing how our increased efforts to ensure team diversity resulted in positive project results
  
  
• explore the differences between having a diverse workforce and a workplace that has one or two individuals who "represent" diversity
  
  
• sharing with the audience members resources and organizations that can make it far easier to incorporate a diverse set of interns into your organization
  

Lisamarie Babik PMP has nearly 20 years of experience in the software industry spanning several domains including medical oncology, statistical process control, automotive testing, ISO/QS9000 certification, and FDA Pre-Market Notification (510K). She has been working fulltime with Agile teams for almost seven years. She is PMP certified.

Jim Rodgers PMP has worked for more than 20 years in project management and information technology. He has worked with clients as a business analyst, developer, team lead, project manager, account manager, and solution architect and has managed several IT departments in the not-for-profit and for-profit service and manufacturing sectors. Jim most enjoys guiding clients and teams through projects that are successful in using technology to solve business problems. He is PMP certified.

• introduction
  
  
• description of the work environment
  
  
• overview of the evolution of incorporating interns into project teams
  
  
• benefits for the organization (examples)
  
  
• benefits for the individuals (examples)
  
  
• benefits for the project (examples)
  
  
• ways to incorporate international interns in your projects (examples)
  
  
• sharing resources and organizations that can enable organizations to incorporate a diverse set of interns into their teams
  
  
• q&a
  

There are many definitions of "diversity," but perhaps none are so literal as the approach taken by one local software company. Each year it hosts a half-dozen international graduate-level interns from countries such as China, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, and others. These interns are not side-lined to work on separate projects, as in many internships, but rather they work alongside the other employees and contractors as full members of the team starting on their first day. It is our belief that adding this international contingent to our teams brings a broader worldview to the workplace and to those who work in it. This results in more creative solutions, improved communications, and ultimately benefits the project.