Pursuing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Strategic Advantage

Global companies and management firms have long touted the benefits of diverse and inclusive organizations, highlighting increased innovation, talent retention, and competitiveness. Leading tech companies have begun the messy process of acknowledging the work they must do to make these gains. With 95% of higher education CIOs identifying themselves as white, and only 20% of them being women, isn't it time for higher ed IT to do the same? Whether through gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or any of the other myriad ways teams can be diverse, is it possible that emphasizing the strategic advantages of pursuing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can help change the demographics of our community? This session will cover topics such as unconscious bias and research-based approaches to encourage DEI, with a focus on articulating strategic advantages to our organizations and institutions.

Outcomes: Consider the implications of higher ed IT demographic trends and statistics * Explore examples of the strategic benefits of inclusive workplaces * Consider approaches to translate these benefits to your organization and institution