One of the core missions of the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business is to provide our students with classroom experiences that will set them up for the real working world. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are of growing importance in workplaces in every field and industry. The David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership’s Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship aims to equip students with the skill set they need to navigate and grow these initiatives in their future careers.
This fellowship course, titled Project Course in Organizational Leadership, spends the first half of the semester in the classroom learning about concepts related to diversity and inclusion, organizational leadership, and sustainability issues in the workplace. Then, the second half is a consulting-style project working with a small-to-medium-sized organization to solve a related issue. Previous clients have included Project Love Coalition, Abundance at Work, Safer Foundation, and National Reentry Workforce Collaborative.
“This course has equipped me with invaluable skills, including strategic thinking, collaboration, and a deeper understanding of ethical considerations in data monetization,” says Namrata Duara (MS ’24). “These skills are integral to my future aspirations as a business leader committed to diversity and ethical practices.”
The Value of Inclusion in the Workplace
Diversity and inclusion affect a business on nearly every level. In 2022, the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Global Market Report stated that diverse companies earn 2 ½ times higher cash flow per employee and inclusive teams are more productive by over 35 percent. Diversity and inclusion work is especially important to millennial and Gen-Z workers. A 2021 Glassdoor study found that 76 percent of employees and job seekers said diversity was important when considering job offers.
“With our graduate students going on to step into leadership roles, an important competency to develop is the ability to work with diverse others – not only to cultivate the ability in themselves for working with others who may share different perspectives, but also to lead and inspire in diverse environments as future leaders,” says Clinical Associate Professor Nisha Nair, who teaches the course.
Nair believes that the fellowship offers our graduate students a unique opportunity for experiential learning through immersion in projects that grapple with real-world challenges and solutions to the issues of diversity and inclusion, and in support of minority-led businesses and nonprofits. These projects are an effective training ground for confronting and navigating the issues and challenges many organizations face today.
The issues the students are tasked to solve are complex ones faced by real organizations. “The dance between opportunity and responsibility combined with tangible and intangible resource constraints inherent in operating in a developing market context makes a project of this nature even more complex, requiring out-the-box thinking,” says Roze Phillips, founder and CEO of Abundance at Work.
She added: “The students, drawn from an international cohort, provided a rich tapestry of perspectives on the problem statement – combining intellect with heart, value with values. Their compassion for the end users I believe is what set their solutions apart.”
Get Involved in Fall 2024!
Duara says, “The emphasis on real-world applications and societal impact made the learning experience both enriching and meaningful.”
“The hands-on experience and skills gained have directed my career path towards creating inclusive work environments and sustainable business solutions,” says Spandan Ghosh (MBA MS ’24).
Real-world learning experiences at Katz give students the skills they will need to be successful post-graduation. Registration for this course is open to second-year MBA and MS students and will fulfill an experience-based elective credit. Students also receive a stipend for their participation. The course design brings classroom learning to life. Registration for the Fall semester course starts in late March. For more information, contact the Center at bergcenter@pitt.edu.
