Two Months Later, Here’s Where We Are: HBS, Diversity & Frameworks for Social Change

Two months ago to the date, I wrote a case about HBS and their record on race and gender. I timed the case to launch as the academic year began (Aug 25th was the first day of first-year classes).

The strategic plan, framework and marketing plan were developed using HBS thinking and alums that are experts in their fields. It should be clear that if students of the school can do this work, then the school itself has no excuse for being slow to act if they were to apply what they sell to the market (as cases and books) to areas that might not make them money in the short-term. Similarly, institutions that cannot find Black or female talent, but can maximize profits, beat market expectations or expand into new markets, do so from a lack of trying.

If your CFO, CMO or COO were your head of human resources, would you meet your diversity targets or have more equitable processes? Corporations and institutions have underinvested in areas they deem less important or non-revenue generating — a lens that views capitalist aims over moral claims fully. If the reason for pursuing diversity requires a business case or increased financial returns, it in fact relegates all humans to producers of capital solely — and not as humans who have other purposes.