Diversity at work: Report examines why it matters and how to achieve it

Chicago Tribune:

The diversity controversy at the Oscars — or, as host Chris Rock called them, the “White People’s Choice Awards” — resonates far beyond Hollywood.

Employers striving for diverse workforces often encounter resistance or rely on rhetoric that does little to move the needle — a detriment to business, a recent academic article suggests, given evidence showing that diversity has widespread benefits as long as it is executed well.

Writing in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a group of nine researchers from seven universities highlighted the business benefits of diverse workforces and offered policy recommendations to achieve them without the conflict or backlash sometimes sparked by diversity initiatives.

“If you just increase diversity, you don’t get the benefits if you don’t manage it effectively,” said Adam Galinsky, lead author of the paper and professor of management at Columbia Business School.

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