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New research on workplace diversity from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including racial and ethnic diversity, social and economic diversity, and gender-based diversity.
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Should a Pension Fund Try to Change the World?

Re: Rebecca M. Henderson, George Serafeim

Can inclusivity, sustainability, and better governance boost economies? Rebecca Henderson and George Serafeim discuss the impact investing efforts of GPIF, Japan’s government pension fund. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Israel Turns 70: Does it Need a Rebrand?

Re: Elie Ofek

When market research revealed that many people associated Israel with military and political conflict, the country knew a rebrand was in order. In this podcast, Elie Ofek discusses the campaign's results. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Do Experts Listen to Other Experts? Field Experimental Evidence from Scientific Peer Review

by Misha Teplitskiy, Hardeep Ranu, Gary Gray, Michael Menietti, Eva Guinan, and Karim R. Lakhani

Influence is a fundamental aspect of collective decisions. It is thus crucial to consider not only the composition of evaluation panels but also their deliberation process. This study illuminates drivers of influence among an elite population of experts and contributes to our understanding of resource allocation in science and other expert domains.

Managers, Are You Prepared to Handle Religion in the Workplace?

Re: Derek C. M. van Bever

Managers face growing challenges related to religion in the workplace as religious discrimination claims and monetary settlements increase. Derek van Bever discusses two examples that made their way to the US Supreme Court. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Women Pay a Higher Career Price in Today's Always-On Work Culture

by Danielle Kost

In industries that prize overwork, both men and women pay the price of missed time with family. But the career damage is more severe for women, says Robin Ely. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Gender-Diverse Companies Thrive Only Where Diversity is Embraced

by Sean Silverthorne

Researchers have produced murky, conflicting results about whether gender-diverse companies perform better than those managed mostly by men. Letian Zhang offers new insight that explains why. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Calculators for Women: When Identity Appeals Provoke Backlash

by Tami Kim, Kate Barasz, Leslie John, and Michael Norton

With calculators targeted to women and laundry products aimed at men, examples of identity-based labeling—or “identity appeals”—abound in advertising and marketing. Five studies show when and why such identity appeals backfire. Identity appeals may fail equally whether they evoke negative or just milder stereotypes.

Has the Glass Ceiling Been Broken (or at Least Cracked)?

by Sean Silverthorne

Harvard Business School researchers have been at the forefront of studies on gender discrimination for several decades. As International Women's Day 2019 approaches, here is what they've discovered so far. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How Gender Stereotypes Kill a Woman’s Self-Confidence

by Dina Gerdeman

Researchers believe gender stereotypes hold women back in the workplace. Katherine Coffman's research adds a new twist: They can even cause women to question their own abilities. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Gender Stereotypes in Deliberation and Team Decisions

by Katherine B. Coffman, Clio Bryant Flikkema, and Olga Shurchkov

Professional success requires the ability to contribute ideas, and receive credit for them. This paper explores gender differences in how men and women communicate and reward each other in team decision-making problems. We find that women are recognized less often for their contributions in male-typed domains.

Does Public Ownership and Accountability Increase Diversity? Evidence from IPOs

by Rembrand Koning and John-Paul Ferguson

Going public has no effect on workforce diversity, according to this study comparing changes in firms’ ownership type with longitudinal data on employment. For workforce diversity, the time to make a difference is probably not after an initial public offering but rather in the years just after firm founding.

Stereotypes and Belief Updating

by Katherine B. Coffman, Manuela Collis, and Leena Kulkarni

Increasing evidence demonstrates that stereotyped beliefs drive key economic decisions. This paper shows the significant role of self-stereotyping in predicting beliefs about one’s own ability. Stereotypes do not just affect beliefs about ability when information is scarce. In fact, stereotypes color the way information is incorporated into beliefs, perpetuating initial biases.

Women Receive Harsher Punishment at Work Than Men

by Michael Blanding

Women caught in misconduct were 20 percent more likely to be fired and 30 percent less likely to find new employment in the financial services industry, reports new research by Mark Egan and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

When Harry Fired Sally: The Double Standard in Punishing Misconduct

by Mark Egan, Gregor Matvos, and Amit Seru

Despite committing misconduct less often and less severely than men, female advisers in the financial adviser industry face more severe punishment in the labor market, a finding strongly correlated with the gender composition of the managerial team. A similar punishment gap and mitigating factors affect ethnic minority men.

Pro Basketball Coaches Display Racial Bias When Selecting Lineups

by Michael Blanding

Research finds that NBA coaches give slightly more playing time to players of their own race, but the gap disappears at playoff time. Research by Letian Zhang. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Diversity Boosts Profits in Venture Capital Firms

by Michael Blanding

VC firms that score high in diversity among their partners also tend to be more profitable, according to Paul Gompers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How Should Managers Deal with the Challenges of Building an Inclusive Workplace?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP Few doubt the benefits of a diverse workplace. James Heskett's readers offer insights on the most effective management approaches to inclusion. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

From Immigrants to Americans: Race and Assimilation During the Great Migration

by Vasiliki Fouka, Soumyajit Mazumder, and Marco Tabellini

The Great Migration of African Americans and the mass migration of Europeans both contributed to forming the modern American racial and ethnic landscape. This analysis finds that native whites more readily accepted European immigrants as African Americans arrived in the US North during the first Great Migration, facilitating the assimilation of European immigrants in northern urban centers.

The Impact of Penalties for Wrong Answers on the Gender Gap in Test Scores

by Katherine B. Coffman and David Klinowski

Multiple-choice questions on standardized tests are widely seen as objective measures of student ability, but the common practice of assessing penalties for wrong answers may generate gender bias. This study documents the impact of a policy change that removed penalties for wrong answers on the national college entry exam in Chile. This simple change reduced the gender gap in test performance by 9 percent.

Celebrating 'The Men and Women of the Corporation' 40 Years Later

by Robin J. Ely

Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s Men and Women of the Corporation inspired and informed a generation of scholars studying gender, status, and power. Robin J. Ely interviews Kanter about her groundbreaking research and why it remains relevant today. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.