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Why Diversity Matters In The Business School Classroom

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By Francine Fluetsch on October 12, 2016

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When we think of businessmen in movies, we usually get one image: that of some old white man in a new tux, or something of that nature. We want to make sure that what is depicted in the films is not what is going down in real life, and so we need to make sure that there is diversity in the business classroom, which will lead to diversity in all aspects of the business world.

Diversity means different viewpoints.

Everyone comes from different backgrounds and ways of life, and this is always a great asset in the classroom. Learning with peers that have different experiences from you allows for a plethora of viewpoints, great problem solving skills, and more opportunities to take on a new way of looking at something from what a peer has said.

When my father was getting his MBA, his team of four was from all different parts of the world, and they used this to their advantage. My father, being from Switzerland, was able to give a European standpoint and explain some methods that his classmates hadn’t heard about before, and one of his other partners, from Korea, was able to do the same thing and so on.

You can’t run out of ideas because you aren’t stuck with the same business student cookie cutter idea that is always presented to us in the media.

Diversity inspires young minds.

Nowadays, there is a lot more diversity in classrooms than there has been, but we still have a ways to go. If we can show the new generation of young minds that they can do anything that they set their minds to, and prove it to them by showing the diversity in jobs that are found in the real world, then maybe they’ll be able to follow their dreams instead of only going after careers they feel they would “fit in” to.

For example, when we think of influential people in the business world, men like Steve Jobs or Henry Ford tend to come to mind, but what about the influential women out there like Oprah Winfrey or Ariana Huffington? We don’t have to let this field be white male dominated, and the sooner our young generation learns that, the better, and they can start changing the statistics and getting on that Forbes List.

We aren’t even close to the potential we could be at if we don’t let an array of different people influence the business world. Diversity in educational background, race, gender, ethnicity, religion,personality and other attributes are key to creating a fruitful environment where everyone will thrive.

Diversity builds a better team.

The business world is all about working as a team in the most efficient way, and diversity helps with that. Each student will be able to harness different skill sets to aid in the smooth productivity of a project, and will allow for the team to expand and explore ideas together, using each diverse background to add to the conversation of knowledge.

Problem solving will be easier since a diverse team will be able to throw out many approaches to work with. They might not always agree with one another at first, but with good communication and reasoning, they will be able to work out which is the best approach, and will be able to create a business bank of knowledge for themselves, so when they get out in the real world, they will each be equipped with diverse approaches for any given scenario, this making them better leaders.

Diversity crushes stereotypes.

If students aren’t in a diverse classroom, they are not reaching their full learning potential and might start buying into harmful stereotypes, such as “women can’t be good business leaders,” which hinders growth and progression in the workplace. If there is diversity in the classroom, and all students can witness the benefit of having all types of people working together, they won’t fall prey into conforming to the stereotypes so often assigned to business individuals.

Men are great leaders, but so are women, and the color of their skin does not influence how well they will do in the position either. Each person will bring a new aspect to the table, so everyone in the office will thrive under different leadership and being surrounded by diverse coworkers.

These are just a few examples of why diversity in the classroom helps everyone involved thrive. It will create different outlooks on the world, new and expansive jobs, and will let us compile new lists of important and influential people, and soon enough, the media will get with the program and will stop depicting the same old image of businessmen, since the stereotype isn’t really the case anymore. Luckily, we live in a world now where diversity is encouraged, so use it to its full potential!

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The post Why Diversity Matters In The Business School Classroom appeared first on Business School Insider.