Is there *suddenly* a lack of demand for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I) and sustainability?

We’ve all heard this myth echoed by lots of loud people and many media headlines lately. But, as critical thinkers and scholars, let's review some evidence:

1. Meta's Zuckerberg loudly claims to be dismantling DE&I programs and embracing "masculine energy" now (whatever that means 🤷‍♀️), while telling investors they still value (and seek) diversity! https://lnkd.in/eZGk5p8q Moreover, Meta still somehow managed to meet (and exceed!) its DE&I goals anways... 😲

2. Companies like Costco (which remained committed to DE&I) are faring better #financially in terms of customer traffic and market share compared to companies like Target (which rolled back their DE&I commitments) https://lnkd.in/e9K6_RwP. So, while we still need larger scale analyses (which takes time), initial evidence shows the financial advantage of #DEI. 💰

3. ResearchGate, a social networking site for 160 million+ research papers and 25 million+ scholars, informed me that my research (largely focused on #DEI and #sustainability) is the most read of the School of Management SoM-HSG or perhaps the whole HSG (it's unclear how they define "department") every week this year (so far...) 🏆 Hence, people still seem to be very interested in reading the research, too! 🤓

In short, no, it doesn't seem like the demand has suddenly decreased for sustainability or DE&I. What would be the alternative for the latter, anyways, Conformity, Inequity, & Exclusion? 😅 (as cleverly put by Mayor Pete)

As Joan C. Williams wrote, some may call their initiatives something else now to avoid putting a "target on [their] back" https://lnkd.in/egzpg8Rm or avoid backlash from the term (driven by a lot of this hype) https://lnkd.in/en9DPKnK or to navigate new legal implications (in the U.S.)

But as I tell my students at University of St.Gallen, let's keep our critical thinking hats on to cut through the hype here (and beyond!) 💪

Exchanging & Inspiring with International & Interedisciplinary Scholars

We were delighted to share some of our research in the prestigous and selective “Organization Science Winter Conference” in Zurich (below). We discussed the work-in-progress with a range of scholars from Switzerland, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, and the U.S.

Thanks again to the organizers from ETH Zurich and to all of the participants for the warm welcome of our more micro-research in this historically more macro research community. We’re integrating the feedback and hoping to submit our paper soon.

Our core PLAID lab team were also delighted to share a new paper (funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation) on how playfulness can facilitate interactions and networking across diversity (e.g., men and women, lower and higher-status persons) in organizations. In total, 31 research groups from across HSG shared their sustainability-related insights. See here for more information.

Do you want to measure your DEI impact (and more)?

We’re looking for organizational partners for our research on men’s role in workplace gender equity.

In this collaboration, we will assess your employees’ perceptions of diversity and inclusion. Over one year, we will send short surveys to your employees to learn about inclusion practices, well-being, and leadership (3 times, <10 min).

What’s in it for you?

1.       You will receive an executive summary with customized, practical recommendations from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) experts.

2.       You can add additional, customized items to the surveys (e.g., to assess aspect of engagement, flex-work/-time, relevant to your needs).

3.       This is a unique opportunity to advance—and evaluate—your commitment to DEI while also contributing to the newest scientific insights on the topic.

This research collaboration is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and is free of charge for you.

Interested? Please contact Eugenia Bajet Mestre, Project Manager and Research Assistant.

Male Allyship Description

For more information on male allyship or our new and highly-rated hybrid training, see our video (above) or our website here.

Why the future is…funny? (TEDx Zurich talk)

Wow! I’m incredibly grateful for the organizers, coaches, hosts, translators, 100(ish) volunteers and folks behind the scenes, 800(ish) attendees (including some of my family, team, and friends!), and 9 other speakers who bravely shared their big ideas at a very inclusive TEDx Zurich yesterday! What a powerful and unforgettable experience with loads of creative and inspiring ideas and individuals.

In my 12-min. talk, I wove a narrative through my years of research on diversity, (social) sustainability, and humor—condensed into 3 key points—pointing to why the future is (or rather should be) funny.

***Want to know more? Check out the video here.***

As our team grows and we remain active in countless ways across HSG (and beyond), please follow us on LinkedIn or our CCDI page for a more complete and current overview of our team, engagements, research, and impact.

To slow down climate change, speed up gender equity?

On behalf of my coauthors Eugenia Bajet Mestre, Corinne Post, and Winfried Ruigrok, we’re delighted to share our new article on the nexxus between gender/diversity, leadership, and sustainability.

Gender equity and environmental sustainability may seem like unrelated issues, but research shows that they are in fact closely intertwined. Women and other underserved groups are disproportionately impacted by the global climate crisis, but they are also uniquely positioned to lead the fight for sustainability. We offer six strategies to help business and political leaders empower women and address environmental challenges through an intersectional approach to sustainability. To tackle climate change (as well as the myriad other sustainability challenges that face today’s organizations), we argue that leaders must acknowledge the complexity and interconnectedness of these issues — and work to develop integrated solutions that will improve them all.

Artwork accompanying our article in HBR by the talented Lars Leetaru.

See here for the original article in Harvard Business Review (in English).

See here for the television interview with Jamie Gloor in TVO (in German).

We’re delighted to see our work featured as “Strategic Intelligence” by the World Economic Forum and gaining above-average traction for Harvard Business Review articles with 22,000+ hits after only 1 month published.

But what do you think? Share your comments here—let’s keep the discussion going as we aim for awareness and positive impact in the areas of gender/diversity, leadership, and (social) sustainability.