Diversity, equity and inclusion academic conference, New York

Unrestricted gifts give INSEAD the flexibility to invest in areas that demonstrate the greatest potential for advancing business as a force for good. They are vital in sustaining scholarships and research, and they support emerging opportunities that arise during the academic year. 

In 2018/2019, the Dean’s Fund/Greatest Impact supported projects that advance subjects that we care about, such as gender equality and empowerment. Integrating diversity, equity and inclusion in MBA classrooms is the first step in making a change in future business practices. 

The school teamed up with Harvard Business School and Columbia Business School to launch the inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Academic Conference in New York City. The three-day conference, co-sponsored by the Dean’s Fund/Greatest Impact, convened 15 scholars from top-tier business schools to co-develop new and effective methods for teaching DEI. 

Enabling conversations around diversity 

Conversations around this topic can be uncomfortable. But for today’s businesses, it is simply a reality. Using a workshop-style approach, the conference participants explored ways to integrate DEI research into the classroom; shared personal experiences about teaching and managing diversity; offered practical exercises for executives and students; and explored methods for troubleshooting difficult situations. 

“It’s very exciting to see business schools come together in this way...We are part of something that is bigger than ourselves — a larger web of people who share the same values and want to work towards the common mission of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.” 

Zoe Kinias 
Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Academic, Director of the INSEAD Gender Initiative

Participants said that the DEI conference was a rare and valuable opportunity to collaborate across campuses on matters both high-level and concrete. There was unanimous enthusiasm for the prospect of making the conference a yearly event and building on this, two more conferences have been scheduled for 2021 and 2022. 

It was envisioned that these annual conferences could become a platform for the development of DEI teaching tools to the benefit of business educators and future organisational leaders everywhere – furthering INSEAD’s mission of bringing together people, cultures and ideas to develop responsible leaders of change. 

Read the full story on the DEI Academic Conference on INSEAD Knowledge.