Bridging an engagement gap: towards equitable, community-based technology leadership practice

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to address undertheorized notions of equity within technology leadership research and to offer alternative possibilities for equitable technology leadership practice. Drawing on advocacy and equity-oriented leadership studies, I investigate the leadership practices of one technology-based and people of color-led organization in Oakland, California (‘InnovateEquity’). Data includes 9 months of participant-observation and 12 interviews with staff and leadership. I found that bridging an ‘engagement gap’, historic disparities in who is included in vision-setting and decision-making processes, represented a key dimension of InnovateEquity’s efforts to foster equitable educational and community changes. Participatory vision-setting processes allowed for a more contested view of ‘technology’ to emerge – one where digital tools offered novel possibilities for youth civic engagement, but also represented looming threats of displacement and gentrification. I discuss these findings and encourage scholars of technology leadership to bridge historic divides in decision-making processes and better situate the possibilities (and contradictions) of digital technologies within the everyday cultural and material realities of urban communities.

Acknowledgments

I want to acknowledge Ronald David Glass for his critical review of this manuscript. All remaining limitations are my own.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ethan Chang

Ethan Chang is a PhD candidate in Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His contribution to the Emerging Scholar Competition, 2018, received the outstanding paper award. Ethan’s research interests include Education theory, policy and leadership, as well as school reform and digital technologies. His research examines the intersection of social inequities and education policy, and centers on the politics of digital technologies and youth. Ethan also explores the role of market- and community-based advocacy organizations in shaping education.