Keynote · Brooke Gazdag
Diversity and the Business Case in 10 Numbers
The business case for diversity is quoted everywhere. The causal evidence is far more mixed.
Add diversity and stir, and performance goes up. That's the popular version of the business case for diversity, and it shows up in countless presentations. Reports like BlackRock's 2022 claim of a gender-balance "sweet spot" made headlines, but had serious problems on closer inspection.
With colleagues, I reviewed 30 years of research on demographic diversity in top management teams and supervisory boards: 220 articles, 64 that fit our criteria, and only 7 rigorous enough to make causal claims. The result: the evidence is mixed and context-specific. In this keynote I tell that story in ten numbers, and show what it leaves for diversity and inclusion: the moral case, the real performance benefits of diverse teams, and inclusion built into everyday work.
What your audience takes away
- Ten numbers that trace the business case for diversity, from a headline-making report to a systematic review of 30 years of research
- What the causal evidence on diversity in top management teams and boards actually shows
- Where diversity does fuel performance, and how treating inclusion as a daily process helps teams get the benefits
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Available as a keynote or an interactive workshop, in English or German. Each talk is tailored to your audience and event.
Every keynote includes Schmingo, my small talk game for the networking break, so your guests leave with new contacts as well as new ideas.
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