Why Diversity Matters on Your Board of Directors

Boards of directors have slowly begun to recognize the value of diversity in deliberation. While they still make up only a fraction of total directorships, the number of women and people of color in America’s boardrooms has grown significantly over the past five years. But representation of gender, race, religion, age, sexual orientation, and disability in corporate governance has a long way to go. Let’s take a closer look at the value of representation, in the boardroom to learn what your organization stands to gain when it makes diversity a priority.

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Board Heterogeneity and Organizational Performance

Keeping up with the best practices of board governance is hard. If only you had a friendly neighborhood board portal to keep you apprised of the latest research. Well now, you do! Our series, Research Recap focuses on keeping you in the loop. Say goodbye to the pages of pretentious pedagogy. Everything you need is right here. Continue reading

The Benefits of Diversity in the Boardroom

DiverseOver the last two decades, corporate board diversity has been growing steadily. In 2015 women held nearly 18% of the board positions at Fortune 1000 companies—a percentage that has doubled over the last 20 years.

As for racial minorities, they hold about 15% of board roles in Fortune 250 companies and are continuing to make gains.

Regardless of where the current statistics fall, though, the bottom line is that studies show diversity in the boardroom brings many benefits.

We’ve compiled a few of these benefits to share with you:

A diverse boardroom provides a diversity of thought

All board members bring their own personal background and experiences to their position in the boardroom. Each individual mind is capable of offering unique ideas, solutions, and strategies. For boards with a more diverse membership, the breadth of personal experience is wider and more comprehensive.

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