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workplace is diversified. The Society for Human Resource Man- agement has determined that diver- sity initiatives can improve the quality of the organization's work- force; spur a better return on its investment in human capital; allow companies to reach more diverse customer bases; attract the bright- est employees; increase creativity; and increase flexibility. All of these benefits help increase a company's chances of survival. The Work Research Centre and its partners through the Diversity@ Work Web site are devoted to encouraging organizations to take proactive approaches to diversity. We have built a diversity management toolkit and a European Web site for diversity management; both are both aimed at training HR manag- ers, trade unions, and policy makers who have the most impact on hiring people from marginalized groups. We are committed to working with established businesses that want to and need to revise their policies so that minority groups are welcome. We know that business schools can address the situation from a different perspective: They can train future executives long before they set foot in their corner offices. They can make sure that tomorrow's leaders understand that diversity isn't simply a gesture or a feel-good measure. It's an economic imperative for a healthy society. Richard Wynne is the co-founder of the Work Research Centre, which special- izes in research and consultancy on key social issues, organizational change, and technological developments. He is also coordinator of the DiManT Project. He is based in Dublin, Ireland. More information is at www.wrc-research.ie/. 34 January/February 2012 BizEd Diversity and the Doctorate BY BERNARD J. MILANO In corporate life, diversity is usu- ally a given. The global market- place is diverse, so the talent that serves and produces for it must be as well. But in the academic world, where business students learn to become business executives, diver- sity in front of the classroom is still an unrealized dream. At U.S. business schools, fewer than 4 percent of the faculty are minorities—that is, African Ameri- can, Hispanic American, or Native American. If business schools don't have people of color teaching their classes, they will find it difficult to attract minority students to enroll in their courses. Solid research suggests that when a person's identity is dif- ferent from the identity of others nearby, performance suffers. The environment feels uncomfortable, and the individual wonders if this place is a good fit. If there are no minority professors teaching busi- ness classes, students of color will not have role models or natural and approachable mentors. Nor will the majority students, usu- ally Caucasian, have a chance to experience the diversity they will experience when they enter the workplace. If business schools want to succeed in their end goal of diversifying global management, they will have to start by diversify- ing their own faculties. But first, they'll have to debunk many myths concerning what it takes to become a business school professor. One of the biggest assumptions is that it costs too much for most minority students to afford, but this is simply untrue. Unlike undergraduate and graduate programs, most full-time doctoral programs at AACSB-accredited universities in the U.S. waive tuition and fees. In addition, almost all of these programs compensate their doctoral students for research and teaching assistantships, and these stipends can range from $15,000 to nearly $40,000 per year. If business schools want to diversify global management, they will have to start by diversifying their own faculties.