The article, by Harvard Business School professor Robin Ely and Morehouse College president David A. Thomas, critiques the off-cited economic case for diversity and argues that contrary to conventional wisdom, there’s no research support for the notion that diversifying the workforce automatically improves a company’s performance. To fully benefit from increased racial and gender diversity, organizations must adopt a learning orientation and be willing to change the corporate culture and power structure.
“Getting Serious About Diversity” revisits an argument Ely and Thomas made in their 1996 HBR article “Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Diversity,” which outlined their research showing companies could reap the full benefits of a diverse workforce by tapping into identity-related knowledge and experiences as resources for learning how the organization could be more effective.
Read full Harvard Business School press release here.