The Case for Mandatory Diversity Education

Abstract

Diversity has been well researched in management literature. However, diversity research has had limited practical effects, in part because it has not been disseminated to the public, including management students. Since at least 1991, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business has included specific statements on diversity in management education but has not mandated a course or attended to diversity as it has to ethics in business. We argue that given the persistence of discrimination, harassment, and inequality, and the importance of diversity concerns worldwide, mandatory diversity education is needed for management students. Without such education, these students stand to enter the workforce ill-equipped for participation in diverse environments. We propose that there are moral, ethical, and business reasons for diversity education and suggest that limited diversity among business faculty and administration contributes to the lack of mandatory diversity education for management students. We provide suggestions for research on factors influencing the inclusion of mandatory diversity courses and on the effectiveness of such courses.

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