200 likes | 392 Views
A Business Case For Diversity: A Basis for Higher Education Dr. Michael D'Arcangelo Director of Diversity Education. Overview. Introduction regarding the business for diversity. Diversity as a d river for Innovation (Page, 2011). 3. National research and literature supporting
E N D
A Business Case For Diversity:A Basis for Higher EducationDr. Michael D'ArcangeloDirector of Diversity Education
Overview • Introduction regarding the business for diversity. • Diversity as a driver for Innovation (Page, 2011). 3. National research and literature supporting ties between Innovation, Diversity and Higher Education. 4. Conclusion.
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 InnovationDo 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. • Diversity includes not only traditional factors, but people’s cognitive tools and abilities. • Increased diversity helps organizations to • think differently and • innovate in groups. • Diversity trumps agility. • 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 research This 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 Outcomes Companies 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 Access and Success Institutional Infrastructure Ed. and Scholarship Climate and Intergroup Relations • -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
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.