Author

Frank Dobbin

Harvard University

Articles

Harvard Business Review

Why Diversity Programs Fail

Introduction Corporations around the world have recognized the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workforce. A diverse workforce not only strengthens productivity, creativity, employee engagement, and profits, but also helps maintain company reputation. In this article, Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev examine why traditional diversity programs are not successful in increasing equality and diversity…

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American Sociological Review

Best Practices or Best Guesses? Assessing the Efficacy of Corporate Affirmative Action and Diversity Policies

Introduction Over the past several decades, there has been an increase in efforts to diversify the American corporate workforce. In 2018, the employment search engine Indeed saw an 18% increase in diversity and inclusion job postings from the previous year, and a 2017 report indicated that about $8 billion is spent annually on diversity training.…

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Anthropology Now

Why Doesn’t Diversity Training Work? The Challenge for Industry and Academia

Introduction Corporations and higher education institutions have been offering diversity training for decades. Yet countless studies dating back to the 1930s indicate that anti-bias training does not reduce bias, alter behavior, or improve the workplace. Despite these shortfalls, organizations continue to rely on diversity training due to concerns relating to optics, litigation, and perceived lack…

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