workplace diversity - Publications - Faculty & Research

05 Jul 2023
What Do You Think?

How Are Middle Managers Falling Down Most Often on Employee Inclusion?

(DEI)—the holy trinity of organizational development at present. Team members with diverse backgrounds, especially in creative types of work, have been shown to deliver better ideas and bottom-line results than those in less View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

26 Apr 2024
HBS Case

Deion Sanders' Prime Lessons for Leading a Team to Victory

black socks in the training room may be the same person who costs you the game.” Companies can set similar expectations of employees. “Every profession has the equivalent of a uniform,” Sanders says. “Every workplace has rules.” 4. Send... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Sports

08 Aug 2023
Research & Ideas

Black Employees Not Only Earn Less, But Deal with Bad Bosses and Poor Conditions

evaluate their work environments, says Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Letian Zhang, because these softer measures of workplace quality matter to employees—in some cases, even more than pay. “When we think about racial gaps in... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

12 Aug 2014
First Look

First Look: August 12

whether a common system allowed IDFC to recognize and retain talent across its diverse businesses. This case examines whether a uniform performance management system provided the autonomy and flexibility needed to build a culture of high... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

23 Jun 2023
HBS Case

This Company Lets Employees Take Charge—Even with Life and Death Decisions

comparable organizations, with absenteeism, turnover, and overhead up to two-thirds lower. “We know that workplace disengagement is a big problem these days. We also know from research that when employees feel empowered, they report being... View Details

Keywords: by Annelena Lobb; Health

16 Jul 2018
Research & Ideas

Kids of Working Moms Grow into Happy Adults

who are employed, and they have more egalitarian gender attitudes about women and men in the workplace as well,” McGinn says. “So having an employed mom affects the choices these sons are making.” Employed moms strongly shape their... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

10 Oct 2023
Research & Ideas

In Empowering Black Voters, Did a Landmark Law Stir White Angst?

often promoted by strategic political entrepreneurs, that such policies might be ‘zero sum’ and could harm the ‘old majority’,” Tabellini says. You Might Also Like: Confront Workplace Inequity in 2023: Dig Deep, Build Bridges, Take... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

11 Apr 2024
In Practice

Why Progress on Immigration Might Soften Labor Pains

achieve diverse national goals (employment needs, family reunification, humanitarian) with different types of visas. And many people move across skills or visa categories during their stay. Employment-based migration focuses on providing... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

03 May 2024
Research & Ideas

How Much Does Proximity Influence Startup Innovation? 20 Meters' Worth to Be Exact

COVID-19 pandemic. Four years after the pandemic sent workplaces into lockdown, organizations continue to weigh the benefits of collaboration from time together against the focus gained remotely. “The reality today is, we are unlikely to... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

04 Sep 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, September 4, 2018

2018 Individual Creativity in the Workplace An Integrated Model of Dynamic Problem Solving within Organizational Constraints By: Cromwell, Johnathan R., Teresa M. Amabile, and Jean-François Harvey Abstract—Rapid technological change,... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

08 Feb 2023
Op-Ed

Building an Inclusive Workplace? Prepare to Shield It from Economic Fears

Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, business leaders vowed to change organizational culture to increase diversity and inclusion. Some companies established more robust employee affinity groups, others diversified the voices on... View Details

Keywords: by Hise O. Gibson and Nicole Gilmore

11 Apr 2022
Research & Ideas

A World of Difference: What Keeps Companies from Becoming More Inclusive

short, intensive course for MBA students called Anatomy of a Badass, which was a primer on being unapologetically authentic at work. Here, they talk with the HBS Alumni Bulletin about understanding differences in the workplace and the... View Details

Keywords: by Jen McFarland Flint

10 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

Too Nice to Lead? Unpacking the Gender Stereotype That Holds Women Back

are more generous and equality-oriented than men. I was surprised about the extent to which we couldn’t find any contexts in which these believed differences didn’t go away.” Would I be upset if a man did that? Women in the workplace... View Details

Keywords: by Shalene Gupta

08 Mar 2021
In Practice

COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?

A year ago, COVID-19 forced many companies to send employees home—often with a laptop and a prayer. Now, with COVID cases subsiding and vaccinations rising, the prospect of returning to old office routines appears more possible. But will employees want to flock back to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

15 May 2015
Research & Ideas

Kids Benefit From Having a Working Mom

workplace is becoming more and more critical as we have two-wage-earning families," McGinn says. "We tend to talk more about inequality in the workplace, and yet the inequality in the home is really stuck." Click Here In developed... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

27 Oct 2020
Research & Ideas

Can Being the ‘Token’ Give Women and Minorities a Competitive Edge?

to Look Outward The Little Understood Problem Confronting Diverse Workplaces Merck CEO Ken Frazier Discusses a COVID Cure, Racism, and Why Leaders Need to Walk the Talk What do great leaders do differently?... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

09 Jun 2021
Research & Ideas

How Tennis, Golf, and White Anxiety Block Racial Integration

Psychology. “It’s not that Whites always do this—but that when given the power and the opportunity, they may seek ways to reduce the racial diversity in the spaces they inhabit to lessen contact with racial minorities,” says Jachimowicz,... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

17 Nov 2016
Op-Ed

What's Behind the Unexpected Trump Support from Women

immigrants. “Us vs. them” rhetoric framed diversity as an impediment to American greatness, and—consistent with historical racial and socioeconomic fractures—global trade and immigration, the increasing presence of white women and people... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Morgan Roberts and Robin Ely

19 Dec 2023
Research & Ideas

15 Podcast Episodes That Grabbed Listeners in 2023

ethics, and workforce implications. How LinkedIn Parses Talent, Skills, and Diversity Professional work has hit multiple inflection points—from generative AI to remote work and shifting skills requirements. There are few better vantage... View Details