The Women in Management Book Club brings together alumni, current students, and staff to discuss books that relate to female careers and gender at work. The meetings focus on the key ideas expressed in the books and any related experiences of the book club members. Discussion leads to tangible outcomes that can be taken into the workplace to help women make the most of their knowledge and skills in order to progress further in their careers.
When and where does the club meet?
The book club meets every three months at the UCL School of Management in Canary Wharf.
The meetings start at 18:30 and will last for approximately 90 minutes. Attendance at these sessions is limited to 20 people for each meeting to allow everyone to express their views and discuss the book in detail.
Who should attend?
We actively encourage members of the UCL School of Management Alumni to join us for the book club, as it serves as a great networking opportunity, as well as offering professional development opportunities too.
School staff may also occasionally attend, and a small number of places are reserved for current students, with the priority given to students who are writing a dissertation about a related topic.
The club is a mixed gender group, so we welcome people from all genders to attend, discuss and share their experiences and ideas related to the bi-monthly book.
How are books chosen?
All members of the book club can suggest books for future meetings by emailing the organizer - details of which can be found on MeetUp. The books are chosen two months ahead of time by an online vote, and only books that are readily available for a reasonable price are put up for a vote. Books that are put forward can be on a variety of topics, but should relate to women in business.
In previous meet ups we’ve discussed books ranging from; The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvior to Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez and Brotiopia by Emily Chang.
What is discussed at the book club?
The focus in these sessions is the evaluation of the main messages of the book, how they relate to the experiences of the club members, and ensuring that there are learnings that can be taken away by all to help to tackle the issues encountered by women at work.
We would love to hear in the next sessions how the discussion points have helped, or changed, your experiences in the workplace, and how you’ve developed the learnings to suit your individual circumstances.
What are the ground rules?
Book clubs are interesting because people have different views and opinions about books. Respect the opinions of others and enjoy the diversity of views. In order to generate an inclusive and rich discussion, please:
- Present thoughts that emerge from the book and relate them to your experience within organisations and wider society.
- Allow others to finish their contributions before making your own.
- Avoid speaking over others when they are presenting their views.
- Give time for all the members of the group to speak, but do not put pressure on others to make contributions.
- Respect the right of members to not disclose organisational information that they would prefer to keep private.
- Remember that others may not be familiar with the same organisational terminology, abbreviations and theories that you are. Try to use language that is understood by all.
If you have suggestions for improving the book club, please contact the organizer via MeetUp.
Join us
If you’re interested in joining our book club, sign up on MeetUp.
If you would like further information or have any questions, please contact Nina Seppala.