{"id":4050,"date":"2021-07-21T04:11:52","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T03:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/mba\/?p=4050"},"modified":"2021-07-22T07:36:21","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T06:36:21","slug":"diversity-inclusion-at-iese-cultivating-leaders-to-whom-the-future-can-be-entrusted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/mba\/diversity-inclusion-at-iese-cultivating-leaders-to-whom-the-future-can-be-entrusted\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversity & Inclusion at IESE – Cultivating leaders to whom the future can be entrusted"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why we are here today<\/strong><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to look hard to find \u201cdiversity\u201d being championed as a governing principle in company mission and vision statements. The business case for diversity is not new, although it has become more pressing and pertinent in recent times. For years, we have been taught, and maybe even experienced first-hand in our work spheres, how diversity of thought and experience lead to better problem solving and decision making, greater innovation, more creativity, and a bigger bottom line.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And to back it up, the numbers from global surveys are quite convincing \u2013 companies who are the most racially and ethnically diverse are 35% more likely to have better financial returns than industry averages. And companies that are the most gender diverse? They\u2019re 15% more likely to have better financial returns than industry averages.[1]<\/sup>\u00a0<\/a>Even diversity in alma mater makes a difference – success rate of business acquisitions and IPOs has been found to be 11.5% lower, on average, for investment partners who share school backgrounds versus those who attended different schools.[2]<\/sup>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

If the business case for diversity is seemingly clear, then why does society struggle with diversity initiatives? Why are some companies not as diverse as they can or should be? There are a few answers to that, ranging from cynical belief systems, to perhaps more widespread occurrences such as languishing hiring practices, where companies scout talent in narrow avenues they\u2019ve grown all too familiar with. Other answers are rooted in culture \u2013 companies not knowing how to make the diverse sets of people they do<\/em> hire belong or feel included, and therefore failing to retain them. If we are to champion diversity, then it cannot be achieved without inclusion<\/em> also being front and center and for its own merit.<\/strong> In an inclusive environment everyone has a voice, access to opportunity, and is actively engaged. And to add icing to the proverbial cake? Inclusive workplaces are 8 times\u2026(8 times!) more likely to achieve better business outcomes.[3]<\/sup>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

IESE D&I Committee is turbocharging diversity and inclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

At IESE, we have over 85 nationalities represented in our MBA student cohorts.<\/strong> That\u2019s an incredible feat. Such diversity has been a key element in enriching the case method experience, inspiring new types of inquiry, new debate and discussions, and new elements of analysis and solutioning, all of which are tools necessary \u201cto develop leaders who [\u2026] have a deep, positive and lasting impact on people, companies and society\u201d \u2013 IESE\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

And still, we acknowledge that there is more we can do as an institution to bring in more students with diverse cultures, races and ethnicities, genders, beliefs, abilities and identities. There is more we can do to prepare all <\/em>MBA students to tackle the challenges of and understand the forces shaping business today and tomorrow.<\/strong> These are challenges which require leaders to navigate difference and develop empathy in order to succeed. These are challenges that are best met head on with innovative business strategies, strategies that diverse organizations are, on average, better equipped to formulate and handle.<\/p>\n

The IESE Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee, now in its 2nd<\/sup> year, was formed out of this acknowledgement. That there is more we can do. Made up of students, administrative staff, and faculty, the D&I Committee works to create an environment at IESE that empowers each student to fully participate in the exchange of ideas that is core to the IESE experience and equips students with the tools to thrive out in the world at large.<\/strong>\u00a0Because we believe that every voice should be heard, not just the loudest, and that every student belongs here at IESE. We believe that all students, regardless of personal condition or circumstance, can succeed here and out in the world. And we\u2019re on a mission to make that a reality through several campus-wide initiatives that span Academics, Student Resources, Programming, Community Engagement and more.<\/p>\n

What are some specific ways we go about achieving our D&I Committee mission?<\/strong><\/p>\n