Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a collection of policies and programs within an organization designed to encourage representation and participation of people across all racial, ethnic, gender, religious, and ability backgrounds. DEI has become increasingly important to organizations in recent years, and this is reflected in its elevation within MBA programs. In the United States, all top programs have woven DEI principles into their courses and experiential learning programs, and some schools have also done so in their concentrations, majors, and certificates.
With the increased attention being paid to DEI principles both across the United States and around the world, tomorrow’s business leaders need to understand how to encourage and promote participation among diverse groups of people—not just those who historically have had an easier time rising to the top of companies.
In the past, elements of DEI were included in human capital– or organizational behavior–focused classes. However, MBA programs now integrate DEI teaching across their core and elective curriculums as well as throughout any specializations they offer so that future leaders across all functions understand why it’s important that their organizations have diverse representation and participation—it’s a moral imperative, and it improves the bottom line. One study by Boston Consulting Group found that diverse management teams can raise revenues by 19%, while further research showed a 50% reduction in attrition risk. Diversity in an organization also leads to more creative ideas, stronger satisfaction and retention, and a stronger brand in the marketplace.
Weaving DEI into MBA Teaching
These are some of the different ways that DEI is integrated at top MBA programs:
- Northwestern Kellogg: At Kellogg, students can choose majors and pathways to specialize in their fields of interest. The DEI Pathway offers students resources and training on integrating empirical research and DEI best practices into their leadership.
- London Business School (LBS): LBS’s approach to weaving DEI—which LBS calls Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DBI)—throughout the curriculum has included an exercise for first-year MBA students as part of an “Intro to Organizational Behavior” module. The instructor wanted to spark conversation around the gender pay gap in the United Kingdom, so students were asked to decide how they, as corporate leadership, would disclose their company’s pay gap.
- Emory Goizueta: In its 2022–2023 DEI Annual Report, Emory stated that its MBA program is looking to enrich the school’s community through cultural knowledge and inclusion. As part of that mission, Goizueta created a Culture & Inclusion Concentration to instill a core value of embracing emerging insights in the corporate setting while nurturing unique perspectives.
- Georgetown McDonough: Georgetown’s MBA curriculum includes multiple courses focused on DEI, such as “Innovation Through Inclusion,” which are designed to help students understand and practice inclusive management skills as well as to better understand racial equity.
- UNC Kenan-Flagler: UNC provides many opportunities to develop a DEI toolkit starting with the Leadership Week orientation and the “Ethical Leadership” course in the first year.
- Wharton: In the 2023–2024 academic year, Wharton added a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) major to prepare students to create inclusive and equitable environments in the workplace. The curriculum includes studies in legal, ethics, economics, and public policy.
Taking Collective Action on DEI
Reflecting the amplified effort to integrate DEI into MBA programs, top business schools participate in the annual Academic DEI Conference Working Group hosted by Columbia Business School (CBS) and sponsored by CBS, Harvard Business School, INSEAD, and MIT Sloan. The two-day conference brings together leading scholars to discuss their ongoing efforts to translate DEI research findings into tangible classroom tools so that future leaders are prepared for the diverse environments they will face.
MBA students are also taking action to integrate DEI into their lives and work. Inspired by movements around racial injustice, MBA students created the DEI Summit hosted by Harvard Business School, UVA Darden, Dartmouth Tuck, Wharton, Northwestern Kellogg, and MIT Sloan in April 2021 and April 2022. Drawing more than 1,000 students from 20 countries, the event explored how MBA students can help advance DEI principles in both their lives and their future careers.
In addition to weaving DEI best practices throughout their curriculums, most top business schools have created action plans to support DEI initiatives internally across their programs—from recruiting a diverse faculty and student body, to developing inclusive global leaders, to building relationships with inclusive employers.
Integrating DEI into the MBA Application Process
Along with adding DEI best practices to student learning and faculty experiences, top MBA programs are now evaluating DEI fluency during the application process:
1. Kellogg asks recommenders to cite examples of how the applicant has dealt with diversity:
Kellogg has a diverse student body and values students who are inclusive and encouraging of others with differing perspectives and backgrounds. Please tell us about a time when you witnessed the candidate living these values. (300 words)
2. CBS introduced a new essay prompt for the 2023–2024 admissions cycle that includes the Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership:
The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders. Through various resources and programming, students explore and reflect on the following five inclusive leadership skills: Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment. Please respond to one of the below:
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- Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one of these five skills, and tell us the actions you took and the outcome. (250 words)
- Alternatively, please share a specific example of how you made a team more collaborative or fostered a greater sense of community within an organization. (250 words)
3. Sloan asks all candidates who are invited to interview to submit an additional essay on the topic:
The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice. We believe that a commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and well-being is a key component of both principled leadership and sound management practice. In 250 words or less, please describe a time when you contributed toward making a work environment or organization more welcoming, inclusive, and diverse.
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