We need real progress on workplace DEI. Here’s how business schools can help.

Despite recent gains, companies still have much ground to cover when it comes to equity in the workforce. As you rise through the corporate ranks, Black and Latinx workers become more and more underrepresented.

The pipeline starts in business schools, often the training grounds of future leaders. According to the Wall Street Journal, Black students make up less than 10% of MBA enrollment.

Four faculty members — educators, HR experts and avid DEI practitioners — broke down what universities can do to encourage diversity.

Roosevelt Review: How well do traditional corporate DEI strategies work?

Prof. Jennifer Lin: Traditional DEI strategies can be unsuccessful because they are not visionary or engaging.

Annual training and diversity-in-a-box initiatives (like brown bag lunches and multicultural celebrations) can be off-putting to certain employees. Blanket online training will be done with rolled eyes and sighs. Employee resource groups might be more like social gatherings instead of truly focusing on DEI. And non-diverse (e.g., white) employees could feel left out and isolated.

Dean Ryan Petty: There are proven ways to recruit more diverse talent so it flows into organizations. Collete English Dixon, the executive director of the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate, is an expert on DEI employment trends in the real estate industry.

But too many companies think, “All we need to do is get diverse talent in the door and we’ve solved our diversity problem.” Not enough recognize that is only the first part of the DEI puzzle. Diverse talent needs a managerial support system to flourish.

Why is it important for business schools to focus explicitly on DEI? What impact will that have on the future workforce?

Petty: Many elite business schools struggle to varying degrees with diversity. I believe that business schools will have more positive impact when their student bodies are diverse, and students understand DEI issues through the lens of their authentic life experiences.

Prof. Jennifer Muryn: We need to continuously cultivate diversity through how we recruit students, how we support our diverse student body, and ultimately, how we provide an inclusive environment where students choose to be because they feel valued for who they are.

Petty: Roosevelt students graduate with a greater sense of how to create inclusive corporate cultures that truly value diversity. Students like these will shepherd more significant change, and business schools that are already educating diverse student bodies should be recognized and supported.

How does the Heller College of Business approach DEI, inside of the classroom or beyond?

Lin: It’s important that DEI issues are specifically addressed in the required courses. I regularly teach Workplace Diversity and Legal Issues in Human Resources, focusing on employment discrimination, implicit bias, anti-harassment, among other DEI topics.

Muryn: Within each of our courses, we consider how the course itself can be designed to be diverse and inclusive. Between courses, we offer workshops and events that highlight some aspect of DEI in business.

We recently offered a workshop on equity in real estate and the historical impact of redlining here in Chicago. Last week, we hosted a panel discussion on DEI with Willis Towers Watson leaders on how this company values and incorporates DEI in their company, and how they advise their clients. It was so popular that we are now considering making this DEI panel discussion an ongoing forum to discuss DEI in organizations.

Lin: HCB has diverse faculty who can share their experiences aptly with students. I see a lot of gender, race and age diversity in my students as well. That might be because Roosevelt doesn’t require a GRE or GMAT for admission, which is one huge hurdle that has significant impact and creates racial disparity in other business schools.

Prof. Marie-Élène Roberge: The college emphasizes the importance of fostering an inclusive culture with their students and among their faculty and staff. As an adjunct faculty, I have always been welcomed to join meetings.

Last semester, I presented about “Establishing an Effective Dialogue for Diversity and Inclusion” at the college level. Recently, Dr. Jennifer Muryn organized a workshop about inclusivity in the classroom with another faculty member. Those are examples of a culture that embraces inclusion.

Muryn: As we think of ways to increase DEI efforts “within and between” our curriculum, we’re also thinking of ways to create a sense of community and provide spaces where our faculty and staff can come together.

How can business schools prepare students for success in an increasingly global and culturally diverse workforce?

Muryn: Business schools need to continuously seek ways to support diversity, and have true actions behind the positive-sounding words.

Roberge: We need to attract and recruit the best students from all backgrounds by marketing it to a broad audience. We can make sure that the curriculum reflects topics related to DEI. We also need to retain students and connect them with business opportunities.

Petty: Roosevelt has engaged with companies who recognize the diverse talent at Roosevelt University, and we’ve built relationships to help place that talent. Through the finance honors track, for example, motivated Roosevelt students can attend professional development workshops and meet working finance executives. At least 40% of the students in the program come from underrepresented or marginalized groups.

What promising DEI trends do you see today?

Lin: The only way to prioritize DEI in the workplace is to hire diverse employees. Employees will feel their organization is embracing DEI when they see initiatives actually result in measurable outcomes.

I see some organizations actively recruiting diverse candidates, but organizations should also focus on creating what I call “job pipelines.” This could be an apprenticeship or training programs to bring in unqualified individuals with the sole purpose to make them qualified.

Petty: I think the “inclusion” portion of DEI has seen a much greater emphasis lately, which is a positive. The emphasis on inclusion speaks to the need for corporate culture to adjust and be more sensitive to the needs of a diverse employee base, customer base and society.

Jennifer Lin, Esq. teaches human resources courses and serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council. She is the director of compliance with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Dr. Jennifer Muryn is the associate dean of the college and an assistant professor of human resources. She is passionate about higher education and student engagement. Both Muryn and Roberge participated in the first course of Equity Teaching Academy fellows.

Dr. Ryan Petty serves as the dean of the Heller College of Business. He is an associate professor of human resource management and an expert in labor relations and organizational behavior.

Dr. Marie-Élène Roberge teaches courses on organizational behavior and human resources. Her research focuses on managing diversity and inclusion in organizations and understanding individual and group behaviors in the workplace.