Study: Diversity Doesn’t Deliver

Diversity Dilemma: A new study by three sociologists suggests that corporate diversity training isn’t worth the money. In their research on workplace practices and  inequality, professors Frank Dobbin at Harvard University, Erin L. Kelley at the University of Minnesota and Alexandra Kalev at Princeton studied workforce data compiled from more than 700 companies from 1971 to 2002. Diversity initiatives in general “do not live up to their promise” of increasing the share of women and minorities, particularly African Americans, who crack the management ranks. Mentoring and networking have “modest effects.” The greatest impact comes from programs structured to “embed accountability, authority and expertise” for helping minorities advance.