A Business Case For Diversity:

A Basis for Higher Education

Dr. Michael D'ArcangeloDirector of Diversity Education

Overview

1. Introduction regarding the business for diversity.

2. Diversity as a driver for Innovation (Page, 2011). 3. National research and literature supporting ties between Innovation, Diversity and Higher Education.

4. Conclusion.

Factors in the Business Case for Diversity

Hypothetical Challenges in Higher Education for Faculty/Staff

Faculty/Staff•Feeling connected in your department and/or the campus•Meeting research requirements•Meeting publication requirements•Seeking a mentor you can trust•Negotiating a pathway for career advancement•Finding faculty/staff of your race or gender that you can talk to•Adjusting to the city/regional culture

Hypothetical Challenges in Higher Education for Students

Students•Students feeling at home (adaptation)•Dealing with Culture Shock when meeting someone different•Persist from one semester to the next•Difficulty performing in the classroom•Helping students figure out administrative systems •Facilitating an accommodation for a disability •Being homesick•Finding students of your race or gender that you can talk to•Finding faculty/staff or your race or gender that you can talk to, who ‘get it’•Feeling that the campus is welcoming

Hypothetical Challenges in (Diversity) Factors Higher Education

Visible•Race•Gender•Ethnic Origin•Physical Challenges•Age

(Less visible)•Religion•Sexual Orientation•Cognitive/other Challenges

Invisible •Cultural influences, •Communication styles, •Life experience, •Career paths, •Geographic location, •Income level, •Marital status, •Military status, •Parental status•Emotional Intelligence

Students•Making students feel at home (adaptation)•Dealing with Culture Shock when meeting someone different•Helping students persist from one semester to the next•Having difficulty performing in the classroom•Helping students figure out “the system” •Facilitating an accommodation for a disability •Being homesick•Finding students of your race or gender that you can talk to•Finding faculty/staff or your race or gender that you can talk to, who ‘get it’•Feeling that the campus is welcoming

Faculty/Staff•Feeling respected and connected in your department •Seeking assistance with the research requirements•Seeking a mentor you can trust •Negotiating a pathway for Career Advancement•Finding faculty/staff of your race or gender that you can talk to•Adjusting to the city culture

Diversity as a Driver for Innovation

Do we have the variety of perspectives necessary to deal with these complex problems and create innovative solutions?

In the book: The Difference , Scott Page explains how these 4 key points explain how diversity helps optimize organizations.

1.Diversity includes not only traditional factors, but people’s cognitive tools and abilities.

2.Increased diversity helps organizations to a. think differently and b. innovate in groups.

3.Diversity trumps agility.

4.Superaddivity: The Whole is greater than the Sum of its parts.

Supportive research: Increased Creativity (McLeod, Lobel and Cox, 1996) Enhanced Critical Thinking (Sommers 2006); & Inventive Products (Kanter 1983).

How do we know diversity can optimize the organization?

Examples from Research

Diversity of Thought : Mentoring & Retention on Campuses

–Student participation in faculty mentoring programs improved self-efficacy.

• This was true to an even greater degree, for those students with same-ethnic mentors. (Santos & Reigadas, 2002).

Diversity of Thought : Mentoring & Retention on Campuses

– Recruitment and retention for students of color improved when pursuing a number of structured contacts through faculty of color mentorship, including:

• making personal contacts• teaching a diversity course and • conducting diversity researchThis was true only when having reached a critical

mass of faculty of color, and students of color (Rogers and Molina, 2006).

Diversity of Thought : College Adjustment

•Research identified the positive adjustment of African American students to the social climate at White campuses .

– This was true when rated by faculty familiarity, including same-race affiliation as a variable. (Schwitzer, Griffin, Ancis and Thomas, 2011)

Diversity of Thought: Classroom Learning Outcomes

• On the teaching side, (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado & Gurin, 2002) have postulated that interaction with a diverse student body contributes to the learning outcomes of students in the classroom.

Diversity of Thought: Classroom Learning Outcomes

•A study by Antonio, Chang, Hakuta, et al. (N.D) found that the presence of a Black collaborator in a group of White participants (students) generally led to greater perceived “novelty” (generation of novel ideas).

– It also led to a greater level of integrative complexity among White students..

Additionally, in those situations where students reported engagement in cross -racial (African American to White) relations, an increase in integrative complexity occurred.

Diversity of Thought: Campus Norms & Climate

• A study by Harper and Hurtado (2007) re-enforced the notion that institutions can affect the transition of racial minorities negatively, if the climate reflects a sense of

privilege for majority (Caucasian) students.

Diversity of Thought: Campus Norms & Climate

Sidanius (2008) was able to determine that living with "outgroup roommates" from a different race demonstrated statistically significant gains in comfort levels with people of different groups, including:

- having circles of friends beyond one's own group, and a variety of other measures of tolerance toward

different groups.

Diversity of Thought: Production OutcomesCompanies with:

•A higher percentage of women in top leadership positions performed better financially than their competitors (Catalyst, 2004);

•With higher representation of different racial minorities in significant (non-token) positions (Herring 2006) increases production when compared to competitors.

Diversity-Based Hypothetical & Innovative Higher Education Strategies Challenges

• Critical mass of diverse populations

• Diversity-based rooming assignments

• Campus climate of equity

• Critical mass of historically underrepresented populations

• Intentionally structured diverse work teams

• Mentoring programs.

• Effective diversity education programs , curriculum & training

Students• Making students feel at home (adaptation)• Dealing with Culture Shock when meeting someone

different• Helping students persist from one semester to the next• Having difficulty performing in the classroom• Helping students figure out “the system” • Facilitating an accommodation for a disability • Being homesick• Finding students or your race or gender that you can talk

to• Finding faculty/staff or your race or gender that you can

talk to, who ‘get it’• Feeling that the campus is welcoming

Faculty/Staff• Feeling respected and connected in your department • Seeking assistance with the research requirements• Seeking a mentor you can trust • Negotiating a pathway for Career Advancement• Finding faculty/staff or your race or gender that you can

talk to• Adjusting to the city culture

Theoretical Application of Diversity Research Findings to the Framework for Inclusive Excellence

• -Mentoring Programs

• -Achieve Critical Mass of Diverse Populations• -Intentionally structured diverse work teams.

• -Intentionally structured diverse student class • teams.

• -Cross-racial rooming assignments• -Maintain a campus climate of equity

Access and Success

Institutional Infrastructure

Ed. and Scholarship

Climate and Intergroup Relations

Questions?

References• Aigare,A. Thomas, P.L., & Koyumdzhieva, T. (2011). Diversity management in higher education institutions: Key

motivators. Unpublished manuscript from Jonkoping International Business School.• Antonio, Chang, Hakuta (N.D). The effects of racial diversity on complex thinking in college students. Retrieved on April 2, 2008

from http://www.vpcomm.umich.edu/admissions/research/racial-diversity.pdf.• Catalyst, (2004). The bottom line: Connecting performance and gender diversity. New York: Author.• Chubb Group (2008). The business case for diversity. Retrieved on March 24, 2014 from

http://www.chubb.com/diversity/chubb4450.html• Deloitte (2011). Only skin deep? Re-examining the business case for diversity. Retrieved on March 23, 2014 from

http://www.deloitte.com/assets/DcomAustralia/Local%20Assets/Documents/Services/Consulting/Human%20Capital/Diversity/Deloitte_Only_skin_deep_12_September_2011.pdf

• Gurin, P., Dey,E.I., Hurtado, S. & Gurin G. (2022) Diversity and higher education: Theory and impact on educational outcomes. Harvard Educational Review 72(3), 330-366.

• Herring, C. (2006). Does diversity pay? Racial composition of firms and the business case for diversity. Unpublished manuscript at University of Illinois, at Chicago.

• Jaschik, S. (2008) A new look at the impact of diversity Retrieved on April 1, 2014 from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/12/19/diversity

• Kanter, R. M. (1983). The change masters: Innovations for productivity in the American corporation [Abstract]. Retrieved on March 26, 2014 from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1496170

• McLeod, P. L., Lobel, S. A., & Cox, T. H., Jr. (1996). Ethnic diversity and creativity in small groups. Small Group Research, 27 (2), 248–264

• Page, S. E (2007) The Difference. Princeton: Princeton University Press.• Rogers, M. R., & Molina, L. E. (2006). Exemplary efforts in psychology to recruit and retain graduate students of

color. American Psychologist, 61(2), 143-156. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.61.2.143• Santos, S. & Reigadas, E. (2002). Latinos in higher education: An evaluation of a university faculty mentoring

program. The Journal of Higher Education, 1, 40-50• Schwitzer, A. M., Griffin, O. T., Ancis, J. R., & Thomas, C. (1999). Social adjustment experiences of African

American college students. Journal of Counseling and Development, 77, 189–197.• Smith, D. (2009). Diversity’ promise for higher education. Baltimore: John Hopkins University.• Sommers, S. R. (2006).  On racial diversity and group decision-making: Identifying multiple effects of racial

composition on jury deliberations.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 597-612.