Ahead of Harmony Day 17 March, Associate Professor Lan Snell from the Macquarie Business School discusses the importance of diversity to organisations like Macquarie.

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Like all things related to diversity and inclusion, cultural diversity is complex. It is a multi-dimensional construct, which includes intersections of identities, that some people might want acknowledged, valued, and respected – or not.

For example, I am half Vietnamese and Korean, and depending on the context, might choose to identify myself as Australian. I might play up my Vietnamese when in Saigon, mingling with my people or I might play up my Korean when in Seoul eating real kimchi with my family. Or I might downplay my Asian background and drag out my vowels and run-me-words at a bbq with my white friends, while listening to casually racist comments around me.

These social examples could easily also apply in a professional context where other factors related to gender roles, societal norms, and workplace culture influence the decision to exhibit certain identities more than others. There has been a great deal of work on the multiple identities of individuals which suggest that one-dimensional models of identity are problematic.

Despite this complexity, there is robust evidence that supporting diversity and equity has social and economic benefits. In business, research indicates that company boards with more diverse representation of gender, age and race, produce higher financial returns and are more innovative, compared to boards characterised as less diverse. Improved gender parity is associated with higher annual GDP. Increased gender equality is also positively correlated to improvements in individual psychosocial constructs, such as happiness, well-being, and quality of life.

Unfortunately, however, the current evidence suggests that many still feel marginalised in the university context. For instance, research continues to identify that women are marginalised throughout business school curricula, in the language used in classrooms, and in representations of entrepreneurship.

It is reflected in faculty hierachy – typically only 15-25% of leadership in business schools are women (and an even smaller percentage of these women are from a minority group). Business schools play a significant role in developing the next generation of leaders. If we continue to use learning materials which do not challenge stereotypes, we’ll have a harder time changing mental models related to leadership and innovation in business.

I am also conscious of the lack of cultural diversity, particularly from non-white backgrounds, in leadership. For universities like Macquarie, when we consider the multicultural mix of students, this lack of cultural diversity in leadership is striking.

The challenge for us all is to confront our own biases and to promote discussions about how equality, inclusion and diversity can be achieved at Macquarie. As a University, we have a key role to play in working with stakeholders to identify and understand what success looks like, and where the barriers to success lie. As an academic, I also believe we have a role to play in producing research that contributes to this discussion as part of our broader commitment in creating solutions.

Despite the complexities, I am encouraged by the progress we are making as we push for change. The world we live in is wonderfully diverse. We don’t look the same, talk the same, or share the same thoughts. Yet we are all humans and yearn for some basic things such as respect and sense of belonging. This is what Harmony Day celebrates. Our collective challenge is how active we want to be in bringing about change. Be the change you want to see.

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Lan is Academic Program Director for Macquarie University’s Global MBA program, which is advised by one of the most diverse industry boards in Australia.

She will be taking part in a special Macquarie University Harmony Day event on Tuesday 17 March: ‘Harmony Day 2020: Community During Times of Adversity’. Register now >