6 2 discussion case study diversity dilemmas

• New! Member Benefit New! Member Benefit
• Featured Analytics Hub
• Resources Resources
• Member Directory
• Networking Communities
• Advertise, Exhibit, Sponsor
• Find or Post Jobs

• Learn and Engage Learn and Engage
• Bridge Program

• Compare AACSB-Accredited Schools
• Explore Programs

• Advocacy Advocacy
• Featured AACSB Recognizes 26 Business Schools Leading Boldly
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
• Influential Leaders
• Innovations That Inspire
• Connect With Us Connect With Us
• Accredited School Search
• Accreditation
• Learning and Events
• Advertise, Sponsor, Exhibit
• Tips and Advice
• Is Business School Right for Me?

Teaching DEI Through Case Studies

Sponsored Content

In the summer of 2020, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement took center stage across the United States. At the height of a devastating pandemic and in the wake of several high-profile murders of Black Americans by law enforcement and others, a diverse range of citizens took to the streets to protest systemic racism and the inhumane treatment of African Americans.

Through the lens of bystander Darnella Frazier’s smartphone camera, the world watched in horror as George Floyd died at the hands of a white police officer on a street in Minneapolis. On May 25, 2020, officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as Floyd repeatedly said that he could not breathe. His death, along with those of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery a few months earlier, sparked international protests and drew intense scrutiny about how African Americans are treated by the police, the criminal justice system, and their fellow citizens.

The protests of 2020 prompted many companies, organizations, and educational systems to express their public support of the BLM movement and commit to the goal of achieving racial equity and social justice. While for many companies this was likely a fleeting PR move, others announced that they were taking a hard look at their own systemic issues. Business leaders at companies in many industries began the challenging but necessary work of exposing and addressing the deep biases that have been hardwired into their organizations. The Quaker Oats Company, for example, announced its discontinuation of the 130-year-old Aunt Jemima breakfast foods brand, which had been inspired by a minstrel show song and had long perpetuated a Black stereotype.

Many businesses responded by not only committing to increasing diversity within their workforces, but also examining their supply chains and external partners. Target Corporation, headquartered in Minneapolis, pledged to “…work with diverse suppliers that are at least 51 percent owned, controlled, and operated by women; Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; LGBTQ+; veterans or persons with disabilities.” In 2020, U.S. Bank committed to “doubling its Black-owned suppliers within the next 12 months.”

Further, because of the BLM movement, many major companies are recruiting from historically black colleges and universities more than ever before. Morgan State University in Baltimore reports that its online job portal saw a “263 percent increase in employer logins between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, with major companies like Apple, Bank of America, and Estée Lauder reaching out for the first time ever.”

The Growing Diversity of the Student Body

Against this backdrop of the fight for racial equity and social justice, the U.S. is undergoing a significant change in demographics. In a recent article , The Washington Post shared the following conclusions from newly released 2020 census data:

“The country … passed two more milestones on its way to becoming a majority-minority society in the coming decades: For the first time, the portion of White people dipped below 60 percent, slipping from 63.7 percent in 2010 to 57.8 percent in 2020. And the under-18 population is now majority people of color, at 52.7 percent.”

These statistics apply to our students as well as our future leaders and labor force. Businesses and those in the business of educating students for a future of fulfilling work must respond in kind to a changing college campus. Some schools already are, as shown by these recent examples:

• The University of California system announced that for the incoming 2021 class, “underrepresented students will comprise 43 percent of the new admits, with Latinx students making up 37 percent and the number of Black students being admitted increasing by 15.6 percent.”
• In July, the Governing Board of California Community Colleges (CCC) announced its approval of two new requirements, including one adding ethnic studies as a graduation requirement for students seeking associate’s degrees and another mandating that CCC schools incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and anti-racism into their employment procedures.
• Purdue University has created a new Equity Task Force and has committed more than 75 million USD over five years to support Black students. Purdue states that the “goals of the task force are split into three categories that will measure success in making Purdue a better place for Black students, faculty, and staff: Representation, Experience, and Success.”

DEI in the Curriculum

Universities and college campuses have long been at the forefront of a range of social justice movements, codifying these movements into academic programs such as Black studies, women’s studies, disability studies, queer studies, and more. But there remains much work to be done, including in the integration of DEI content into our curricula. As educators, publishers, and academics who create scholarly content, we are all responsible for taking a close look at how we approach teaching the lessons of diversity. We must build and use curricular tools that reflect the world our students will enter and their experiences within it.

We need more case studies in our classrooms that are written by authors from a range of backgrounds and perspectives—not just by those who represent predominately white, privileged, Western viewpoints.

The traditional case study is one such tool we can use to support DEI and the changing face of business. That said, the case study, long a stalwart in business and management education, is ripe for reinvention where DEI is concerned. It’s true that case studies can expose students to the challenges of a wide variety of organizations, from global publicly traded entities to local startups to social enterprises. But it’s just as essential that cases expose students to a range of perspectives and reflect the myriad backgrounds—cultural and economical—of those who work within the featured organizations.

Moreover, the importance of DEI in case studies extends beyond their subject matter to their authorship. We need more case studies in our classrooms that are written by authors from a range of backgrounds and perspectives—not just by those who represent predominately white, privileged, Western viewpoints.

Fortunately, case studies can be developed far more quickly than textbooks or even mass market book titles. Their short format means that professors can use them not only to keep content fresh and current for students, but also to better capture the shifting nature of businesses and the people who help them thrive. Cases also can show real-time examples of companies undergoing successful evolutions in their DEI initiatives, as well as companies that still have a long way to go.

By looking at business through a DEI lens, students can better see the reality of our economic landscape. They can truly connect to, and see themselves in, today’s business environment.

Building a Modern Case Collection

Our SAGE Business Cases collection is a testament to SAGE’s dedication to prioritizing cases that represent a broad and inclusive range of backgrounds and perspectives from around the world. SAGE is committed to developing cases around emerging and underserved topics that accurately reflect the diversity and shifting priorities of the global business landscape, as well as the experiences of those who work within it.

For example, in 2021 we launched a new case series called Immigrant Entrepreneurs . This groundbreaking series is edited by Bala Mulloth, an assistant professor of public policy at the University of Virginia and himself an immigrant entrepreneur. It features the stories of founders who started businesses outside their countries of origin.

While there has been a spike of interest in case studies that feature protagonists of a variety of backgrounds, we have also seen a rise of nativist politics across countries and cultures. Part of our vision for this series is to combat the damaging and false political narrative that immigrants harm economies. We want to defuse that narrative with positive and inspiring examples of the value immigrants add to communities around the world.

Our SAGE Business Cases platform enables us to quickly publish brief, news-driven cases. Faculty and students can quickly employ the offerings in our Express Case series for classroom or online discussion. Examples include:

• How Will BLM Change Corporate Activism?
• Analyzing Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine PR Strategy

We also offer longer-form cases in our SAGE Originals collection, such as the following:

• Woke-Washing: The Promise and Risk of Linking Branding With Politics
• Policing the Police: Privatization as a Means of Oversight
• Organizational Responses to Athlete Activism Post-Kaepernick: An Exercise in Decision-Making
• Nike and the Balancing Act Between Social Justice and Selling Products

Tools That Reflect the Reality of Business

For its part, AACSB has shown its deep commitment to diversity and inclusion in its 2020 business accreditation standards , in which it embeds ideals related to diversity and inclusion in six out of nine standards, compared to six out of 15 in the 2013 standards. To align with this commitment, our curricular tools must reflect the varied reality of those engaged in the global business environment, no matter their locations, roles, organization types, gender, race, age, religion, sexuality, or disability status.

As educators, publishers, and business school administrators, we have a responsibility to provide all students with not only access and opportunity, but also exposure to a wide range of perspectives. By exposing them to the true, diverse nature of business, we can prepare them for the world today and enable them to change it for the better.

• societal impact

Tackling Diversity in Case Discussions

Explore more.

• Case Teaching
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

C ompanies with diverse teams—and diverse leaders—perform better and  are more profitable . Yet many executives remain uncertain about what the secret sauce is for achieving the right balance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This confusion is shared by business educators, who not only struggle to  adequately represent diversity in course materials , but also are apprehensive about conducting class discussions around diversity issues.

PRACTICAL TIPS ON FACILITATING DIVERSITY DISCUSSIONS

Zoe Kinias provides some practical advice for leading discussions in class on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics:

Be vulnerable ourselves. “There’s actually a lovely case on Microsoft about how Satya Nadella has done a great job of demonstrating to others how he would rather learn than be right,” says Kinias. “We can model this and encourage it in our classrooms.”

Ask the right questions. How do I ask the right questions to encourage additional input? How can I ask the questions in a way that enables empathy as opposed to defense? It’s subtle, says Kinias, but it’s about exploring other perspectives rather than establishing who is right.

Avoid the token trap. It can be tempting to ask the minority person or one of the few members of underrepresented groups to speak on behalf of their group. If they want to speak to their experience, this is of course important to encourage, says Kinias. But it can also be powerful when members of the majority group are able bring in their perspectives, “because they are aware as they talk with other folks and are generally empathetic.”

Get on common ground. Empathy is hugely important for handling these conversations, says Kinias. “Before we get into the details of the challenges with respect to a particular social identity or group status, I ask everyone to remember a time when they’ve been an insider and also a time when they’ve been an outsider. No matter what our demographic characteristics, everyone has felt both of those. Enabling everyone to recall what that feels like can help to set up for empathy.”

Find balance. Raising awareness of the particular challenges that members of underrepresented groups can face without problematizing their experience is an important thing to carefully balance.

Designate support. INSEAD instituted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) representatives within MBA classes. These student representatives add additional perspectives and support to help maximize the management of these conversations and increase the learning.

Having tough conversations with students on diversity issues and interpreting business cases through the lenses of gender and race are not skills most educators are taught. Business schools must do a better job of providing adequate resources for professors—such as gender-specific leadership training, professional mentors, and variety in teaching tools—or provide incentives to diversify their course materials.

In schools where this support is lacking, faculty should lead the way. “Educators who take the responsibility of developing future leaders seriously can do a lot on their own,” says Zoe Kinias, Associate Professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD and the Academic Director of INSEAD’s Gender Initiative.

INSEAD hosts gender balance teaching sessions for faculty in the school’s campuses in both Singapore and Fontainebleau. “We are trying to help to facilitate some general awareness and also have conversations about what to do in some of these challenging situations for faculty of all disciplines,” she says.

Emphasizing That Leadership Is Diverse

Students at INSEAD want more diverse case protagonists. “This is something we hear in our face-to-face interactions and also something we saw in [a recent] gender climate survey,” says Kinias.

In addition to ensuring that a variety of case protagonists are presented to students, Kinias says, it’s equally important to use cases that highlight challenges for members of underrepresented groups as well as ones that show that there are diverse ways of enacting leadership. “This could be a male protagonist who has a bit of a softer side or has work/life challenges he’s coping with, as opposed to just sticking with stereotype-reinforcing protagonists from diverse backgrounds.”

Another way to bring these issues forward in class is to embed opportunities to discuss this kind of content. In an entrepreneurship class, for instance, have a discussion with students about the lack of well-funded female entrepreneurs. Bring in female guest speakers. Really challenge the class to think about what could be different in the scenarios being discussed, Kinias suggests.

Classroom management is also important. Educators need to learn more about issues concerning stereotypes, microaggressions, and subtle power signaling. They must also be able to introduce questions along these lines and respond effectively when students bring them up, says Kinias.

“Every conversation we have—especially on issues that I teach around ethics and corporate responsibility—if we’re honest and engaged in it candidly, should take students to a point where they are potentially uncomfortable.” Nien-hê Hsieh

Tips for Leading Class Discussions Through a Diverse Lens

Exposing students to a greater variety of leaders and management styles not only helps to develop them into future leaders who value inclusivity, but also prepares them to be more comfortable addressing these issues.

“This has a lot to do with psychological safety,” says Kinias. “We’re trying to create an environment in which students are expanding their perspective and exploring ideas. It’s OK not to have the answers in the beginning, but rather focus on engaging in exploratory conversations that involve trying to learn from each other within the classroom context.”

Cases, whether directly focused on diversity issues or not, help students to think through the challenges of managing with respect to diversity and also find solutions. In his ethics and corporate accountability classes at Harvard Business School, Professor Nien-hê Hsieh uses a case he wrote on the well-known Google diversity dispute in which the tech giant fired a top engineer who wrote a memo critical of the company’s diversity efforts.

“The case is meant to examine two sides of the issue—if we think that diversity of opinion and open debate is important for innovation on the one hand, how do you then navigate that while at the same time wanting to ensure that the way people engage in conversations and the general culture in which people engage with one another is one in which people feel comfortable and not threatened,” says Hsieh. “That’s a general issue that all organizations face.”

The case also touches on gender equity challenges in the context of Google, tech firms, and the workplace more generally, as well as how we think about free speech in a way that creates balance and a safe environment for people to engage with one another. An extension of that effort involves looking more generally at issues of race and how to achieve more racial equity, he says. “I also want students to understand, at least in the American context, the extent to which workers are or are not protected with regard to free speech, and other things as well.”

Be Willing to Be Uncomfortable

In navigating difficult classroom discussions, an educator may be inclined to flag them, call them out in advance, and then remind the group to engage respectfully, says Hsieh. However, that can actually be counterproductive.

“Every conversation we have—especially on issues that I teach around ethics and corporate responsibility—if we’re honest and engaged in it candidly, should take students to a point where they are potentially uncomfortable,” he explains. “In that sense, we don’t want to single this out as something different. If we’re really trying to get at these issues and learn about them and learn more about ourselves, we have to be willing to open ourselves up to engage in difficult conversations and be willing to accept the possibility that people may say things that we really disagree with, and be careful about how we talk about things.”

Be an Advocate for Respectful Discourse

Hsieh makes sure to instill this culture of respect right from the start. If a sensitivity or personal experience does require acknowledgement, he creates space for that in the moment by reminding the class to approach it in the same spirit of openness, engagement, and respect as they do in all conversations. He also lets students know there are standards for how they should engage.

“It’s good for students to engage and debate with one another,” he says. “My role as an instructor is to create the space for that to happen, but also knowing when to stop.”

Be Clear About Objectives

Hsieh also ensures he is clear about his objectives for every discussion.  What are the challenges or questions that we want to understand?  “It’s not just learning about something,” he says. “It’s actually learning what they can do or how they can effect change or make judgements.”

Be a Good Listener

Once objectives are clear, educators should listen. “When a student knows I’m actively listening, that’s the first step for opening up the environment for students to have these kinds of difficult conversations,” says Hsieh. “And by active listening I mean being willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and really trying to understand where they’re coming from. Not simply imposing my own lens on what they’re saying.”

Be Careful About the Kinds of Questions You Ask

Both in terms of opening up the discussion and also in terms of follow up, educators should be mindful about the questions they ask. “A question we ask [as educators] is in a sense a permission to speak on a certain topic,” he says. “Being precise in what we’re asking students to engage with actually comes from being very precise with the questions.”

“We’re trying to create an environment in which students are defending their perspective and exploring ideas. It’s OK not to have the answers in the beginning, but rather focus on engaging in exploratory conversations that really involve trying to learn from each other with the classroom context.” Zoe Kinias

Making Business Leadership More Inclusive

The most effective use of class time is for students to do something they can’t do on their own, “where students come together, and by the end of class, collectively as a group, have come to some greater understanding,” says Hsieh. “And individually, we have come to something—either we’ve understood ourselves better or something about each other better.”

Educators—and business schools—worldwide who are taking strides toward more diversity and inclusivity are making progress, says Kinias.

“We are energized, and this has enabled us to engage with the students and with our colleagues in a way that can really improve the situation across all of our schools,” she says. “Really, we are trying to make business leadership more inclusive through the students whose lives we touch while they’re at our school. I’m optimistic that we are moving in the right direction.”

Colleen Ammerman works with the faculty leadership of the Harvard Business School Race, Gender & Equity Initiative to support a research community and a platform for disseminating practice-relevant insights for advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in organizations. She is a member of the Life & Leadership After HBS research team, an ongoing longitudinal study of Harvard Business School alumni which examines the influence of gender and race on their life and career outcomes. She is also coauthor, with Boris Groysberg, of Glass Half Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work (Harvard Business Review Press 2021).

Zoe Kinias  is an associate professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD and the academic director of INSEAD’s Gender Initiative. She is also a member of the INSEAD Randomized Control Trials Lab. Her teaching topics focus on leadership development, social issues at the intersection of business and society, and psychological research in applied/business contexts.

Nien-hê Hsieh  is a professor of business administration and Joseph L. Rice, III Faculty Fellow in the general management unit at Harvard Business School. His research concerns ethical issues in business and the responsibilities of global business leaders, and it centers on the question of whether and how managers are guided by not only considerations of economic efficiency, but also by values such as freedom and fairness and respect for basic rights.

Related Articles

We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience, including personalizing content. Learn More . By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies and revised Privacy Policy .

Excerpt: Case Studies on Diversity & Social Justice Education

This text is an abridged excerpt from chapters 1 and 2 of Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education , reproduced here with permission of Routledge

Samantha, a vivacious seventh grader at Hillside School, a middle school in the predominantly low-income mountainous outskirts of northern Virginia, loves science class. By all apparent accounts, Samantha has a gift for the sciences, too. She aces all of her quizzes and tests and regularly helps classmates who are struggling with experiments. 

This makes it particularly difficult for Ms. Grady to understand why Samantha rarely turns in her science homework. Wondering whether there was an issue at home, Ms. Grady has touched base several times with her colleagues who have Samantha’s younger siblings in their classes to see whether they were noticing similar patterns. To the contrary, she learned that her younger siblings always turn in their homework.

Ms. Grady has reached out to Samantha every way she knows how, from pleading with her to offering to give her more advanced work that might engage her in new ways. On several occasions she has asked Samantha why she rarely turns in her homework. 

“It’s nothing,” Samantha typically responds. “I’ll do it next time. I promise.”

Regardless of how often she calls Samantha’s parents, nobody answers. Imagine how successful Samantha could be if only her parents cared enough to support her education , Ms. Grady has often thought to herself. 

As a conscientious teacher, Ms. Grady wants to support Samantha. On the other hand, she has roomfuls of other students who also need her attention. And, when it comes down to it, Ms. Grady’s grading policy is clear: students are allowed to turn in one homework assignment one day late without penalty—she calls this her “life happens” rule; but in every other instance, failure to turn in homework results in a grade of “0” for that assignment. 

One day after school Ms. Grady approaches Mr. Burns, a social studies teacher at Hillside who had taken a particular interest in Samantha during the previous academic year. 

“I know,” Mr. Burns says. “Brilliant young woman. I had the same experience with her. I didn’t know what to think until I decided to pay her family a visit at home.” Having grown up in the area and attended Hillside as a low-income student, Mr. Burns bristled at some of his colleagues’ deficit-laden perceptions of the local community.

It never occurred to Ms. Grady to visit Samantha’s home. “Wow!” she responds, taken aback by her colleague’s “direct action” approach to student success. “What did you learn?”

“A lot ,” he answers, explaining that Samantha’s father finally found a steady job four months after the local mill shut down. As she has done for years, Samantha’s mother continues to piece together multiple jobs. “She usually sneaks in the door around 11 p.m., an hour or so after her husband, trying not to wake the kids,” Mr. Burns explains. 

“From the moment she gets home from school until her dad returns from work, she’s babysitting Francis and Kevin, her younger siblings. She’s busy taking them to the playground, cooking them dinner, helping them with their homework.”

“Well,” Ms. Grady reflects, “that explains why her siblings’ homework is always in on time and how well Samantha does helping her classmates with their work.”

“Now all I have to do is figure out what to do about Samantha’s grade. And I wonder how many of my other students are in similar situations,” Ms. Grady says.

There exists no magic formula for solving the conundrum in which Ms. Grady finds herself. This is why, in our estimation, we must develop and hone the sorts of competencies that help us to make sense out of real-life messiness. Otherwise, we risk allowing ourselves to be swayed by popular mythology (“poor people do not care enough about their children’s education”). We risk responding without a contoured understanding for why certain conditions exist in our classrooms and schools. 

We have the power to strengthen our abilities to create equitable learning environments and to maintain high expectations for all students by considering contextual factors in addition to the everyday practicalities of our work as we shape our professional practice. 

From the moment she gets home from school until her dad returns from work, she's babysitting Francis and Kevin, her younger siblings. She's busy taking them to the playground, cooking them dinner, helping them with their homework.

The Case Method

One tool—and, in our experience, a particularly effective one—for strengthening those abilities is what is commonly called the “case method.” The premise of the case method is that by analyzing real-life scenarios based on actual events, such as the situation involving Samantha and Ms. Grady, we can practice applying theoretical ideas (such as educational equity ) to on-the-ground professional practice.*

Our process for analyzing educational cases is comprised of seven steps. The steps are accumulative, building steadily and holistically toward a set of informed, mindful responses to often complex classroom and school situations.   

Step 1: Identify the Problem or Problems Posed by the Case 

Begin by naming the challenges or problems (or potential problems) that are explicit and immediately apparent to you. Once you have a grasp of those more obvious dynamics, try to dig a little deeper. Look for less explicit, not-so-obvious examples of existing or potential bias, inequity, interpersonal tensions, stereotypes, prejudices, or assumptions. What does the case tell us about school or classroom policy, about instructional practices or curricula, about individuals’ attitudes that might hint at something deeper than those surface-level biases and inequities? 

Step 2: Take Stock of Varying Perspectives

Our case has at least a couple of obvious stakeholders. Our first task, then, for Step 2 is, as best we can, to walk in Ms. Grady and Samantha’s shoes. How might they, given who they are in relation to one another, be experiencing the situation?

Complicating matters, despite being at the center of the scenario, Samantha and Ms. Grady are only two of many affected parties. Samantha’s parents, whose other two children, Frances and Kevin, also attend the school and in the future might even have Ms. Grady as a teacher, are involved. Then there are Samantha’s classmates, the “bystanders.” How might Ms. Grady’s decisions affect other students who are from families in poverty?   

Step 3: Consider Possible Challenges and Opportunities

Our next task is to imagine the potential challenges and opportunities presented by the case. Start with the individuals involved. We might surmise that Ms. Grady has an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of low-income students—of both the hurdles they might face and the resiliencies they demonstrate. Of course, she also faces a number of challenges, not least of which is overcoming her own biases. What sorts of opportunities and challenges does the case present for Samantha? For her classmates?

We also want to consider the institutional challenges and opportunities. We might assume, by way of challenges, that Ms. Grady might not get a tremendous amount of support if she chose to enact a homework policy that did not conform to those of her colleagues. An institutional opportunity, on the other hand, might be the chance to collaborate toward more equitable school-wide policies and practices in order to more effectively engage low-income students and families.

Step 4: Imagine Equitable Outcomes 

[W]e turn, in Step 4, to imagining what a fair and equitable resolution to the situation might look like. This is a critical step, as Steps 5 through 7 are designed to facilitate the process of working toward the outcomes we define in Step 4.

First, it’s important to distinguish equitable outcomes from equal outcomes. Equality, as we see it, connotes sameness . Equity, on the other hand, connotes fairness . Equity takes context into account.

Second, remember to think both immediate term and long term . What can be resolved right now, on the spot, and what will equity look like once it is resolved? You might decide, for example, that Ms. Grady needs to find a different strategy right now to communicate with Samantha. Perhaps an equitable outcome would be professional development on socioeconomic issues for the teachers at Samantha’s school or a strengthened relationship between Ms. Grady and Samantha’s parents.

Finally, be specific . Identify very specific, on-the-ground outcomes. How, specifically, will things be different in that classroom and school if we commit to resolving the issue and all its complexities equitably? 

Step 5: Brainstorm Immediate-term Responses

Now that you have some equitable outcomes in mind, it is time to begin brainstorming strategies to get us there. What are some of the things you might do right now , if you were in Ms. Grady’s shoes, to achieve those outcomes? This is a brainstorm, remember, so do not overthink.  

All we are doing here is making a list. It’s an informed list, based on all the work we have been doing in the previous steps. But it is still just a list.

Step 6: Brainstorm Longer-term Policy and Practice Adjustments  

In Step 6 we turn to longer-term strategies, often for more substantive change. This is where we might brainstorm ways to bolster awareness about the sorts of challenges Samantha faces throughout the school, if that is one of our equitable outcomes. It is where we focus on things such as institutional culture, school-wide practices, or even district policy, if we believe they need to be altered in order to achieve our equitable outcomes.

Here, again, we’re brainstorming. Try not to self-censor. Just focus on recording whatever ideas come to mind based on Steps 1 through 5.

Step 7: Craft a Plan of Action

During this, the final step, we craft our brainstorms into a set of specific actions that will result in the equitable outcomes we imagined in Step 5. How would you respond in order to ensure, to the best of your knowledge and power, equity for everybody involved?

A Few Final Thoughts

We recognize, of course, that in the heat of the moment we do not always have time to sit down and think through the seven steps of a case analysis process. The point is not to memorize these steps. Instead, the idea is to use them to practice our skills by reflecting on classroom situations through a diversity and social justice lens. Practice enough, and that view will become second nature. 

* Darling-Hammond, L. (2006) P owerful Teacher Education: Lessons from Exemplary Programs . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Apply the seven-step case method to another case—or to a case of your own with our toolkit. 

• My learning plan 03/09/2017
• I start the year with nothing
• Helping others in need.

Print this Article

Would you like to print the images in this article?

• Google Classroom

Sign in to save these resources.

Login or create an account to save resources to your bookmark collection.

New Virtual Workshops Are Available Now!

Registrations are now open for our 90-minute virtual open enrollment workshops. Explore the schedule, and register today—space is limited!

Get the Learning for Justice Newsletter

• Request new password
• Create a new account

Essentials of Mental Health Nursing

Student resources, chapter 6: diversity issues within mental health care, case study: paranoid schizophrenia.

Aamina is a 22-year-old female.  She was born in Karachi in Pakistan, but she was brought over to Northern Ireland when she was two years old with her two older brothers by their parents. There were no reported problems in her childhood and she met all her developmental milestones.  However, her parents were noted to put a lot of pressure on their children to study and do well academically. Aamina did very well at school, and was 18, in her first year studying philosophy at The University of Cambridge, when she became unwell. She started to fall behind with her university work and lost interest in socialising, choosing to stay in her bedroom alone. Aamina became very private and isolative, and she would not allow anyone access to her room.  Her behaviour became irritable and defensive. Her Personal Tutor at the University contacted her parents with these concerns. However, they were very dismissive and refused to accept that anything was wrong. Therefore, Aamina received no formal mental health assessment.

Index Offence

On 30 January 2013, Aamina invited fellow student and friend Vorana back her room so they could study together. Later that evening, Aamina was found by the police wandering the street covered in blood shouting repeatedly: ‘Jakata is coming, Jakata is the highest order, and I have obeyed his orders.’

The police brought Aamina to the Cambridge Mental Health Unit under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 [as amended]. When the police went back to check Aamina’s room they found Vorana dead. She had been stabbed seven times.

Aamina was subsequently convicted of the manslaughter of Vorana on the grounds of diminished responsibility and diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia. She was sent to a high secure hospital under section 37/41 of the Mental Health Act 1983 [as amended] where she remains an inpatient.

Past Psychiatric Care   

On admission Aamina was nursed in seclusion owing to her unpredictable and violent behaviour towards staff and fellow patients. Despite attempts to nurse Aamina on the ward, on each occasion she became violent and attacked staff or fellow patients.  She appeared to show no insight into her illness or index offence.

Current Presentation

Aamina has been in long-term seclusion for the past 18 months. Her family have recently requested to visit her every Thursday; this has not yet been facilitated. They have also asked if they can bring her homemade Halal food when they visit. She has also expressed a wish to practice her Muslim religion. Nursing staff insist on her wearing a ‘strong suit’ 1  while in seclusion, as Aamina has been known to self-harm. Aamina becomes very distressed being forced to wear this suit, as it does not cover all of her legs.

What would you do any why to facilitate Aamina to practice her religion in this situation?

1  A ‘strong suit’ is a piece of clothing that cannot be ripped.  The patient wears this in lieu of their own clothing. It is used when there is a potential that individuals may use their clothing to ligature.

›  Possible answer

• Ensure that a finger food Halal diet is ordered for Aamina, as she may not be allowed cutlery in seclusion. 
• Nurses should adhere to local policies in regards to food being brought into the hospital from visitors. The policy would need to be explained to Aamina and her family.  
• If Aamiina is too unwell to receive a visit from her family, staff should care plan access to a telephone thus allowing her to maintain contact with her family.   
• Ensure Aamina has access to an Imam.
• Obtain a bespoke ‘strong suit’ for Aamina that covers her legs, and constantly assess whether this is actually required. 
• Aamina must prey facing to Mecca. Therefore, the ward should obtain a qibla compas (or qiblah) that points in the direction of Mecca. This will enable staff to enter the seclusion room during a seclusion review and mark a stop on the seclusion room floor that points in the direction of Mecca thus orientating Aamina during her prayers. 
• Before performing certain rituals, most importantly before prayers, Muslims are expected to perform a form of purification, known as ablution or ‘wudu’ in Arabic. This involves washing the hands, face, arms and feet with water. Given that Aamina is in seclusion, she may not have access to running water. Therefore, to allow her to meet this ritual and to maintain her safety, staff need to provide her with fresh water in a disposable cardboard pulp kidney dish bowl before her prayers.

• Browse All Articles
• Newsletter Sign-Up

Diversity →

• 04 Mar 2024
• Research & Ideas

Want to Make Diversity Stick? Break the Cycle of Sameness

Whether on judicial benches or in corporate boardrooms, white men are more likely to step into roles that other white men vacate, says research by Edward Chang. But when people from historically marginalized groups land those positions, workforce diversification tends to last. Chang offers three pieces of advice for leaders striving for diversity.

• 27 Feb 2024

Why Companies Should Share Their DEI Data (Even When It’s Unflattering)

Companies that make their workforce demographics public earn consumer goodwill, even if the numbers show limited progress on diversity, says research by Ryan Buell, Maya Balakrishnan, and Jimin Nam. How can brands make transparency a differentiator?

• 02 Jan 2024
• Cold Call Podcast

Should Businesses Take a Stand on Societal Issues?

Should businesses take a stand for or against particular societal issues? And how should leaders determine when and how to engage on these sensitive matters? Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Hubert Joly, who led the electronics retailer Best Buy for almost a decade, discusses examples of corporate leaders who had to determine whether and how to engage with humanitarian crises, geopolitical conflict, racial justice, climate change, and more in the case, “Deciding When to Engage on Societal Issues.”

10 Trends to Watch in 2024

Employees may seek new approaches to balance, even as leaders consider whether to bring more teams back to offices or make hybrid work even more flexible. These are just a few trends that Harvard Business School faculty members will be following during a year when staffing, climate, and inclusion will likely remain top of mind.

• 21 Nov 2023

Cold Call: Building a More Equitable Culture at Delta Air Lines

In December 2020 Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and his leadership team were reviewing the decision to join the OneTen coalition, where he and 36 other CEOs committed to recruiting, hiring, training, and advancing one million Black Americans over the next ten years into family-sustaining jobs. But, how do you ensure everyone has equal access to opportunity within an organization? Professor Linda Hill discusses Delta’s decision and its progress in embedding a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in her case, “OneTen at Delta Air Lines: Catalyzing Family-Sustaining Careers for Black Talent.”

• 31 Oct 2023

Beyond the 'Business Case' in DEI: 6 Steps Toward Meaningful Change

Diversity and inclusion efforts that focus on business outcomes alone rarely address root causes. Jamillah Bowman Williams, a visiting fellow at the Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society, offers tips for companies navigating their next stage of the DEI journey.

• 24 Oct 2023

When Tech Platforms Identify Black-Owned Businesses, White Customers Buy

Demand for Black-owned restaurants rises when they're easier to find on Yelp. Research by Michael Luca shows how companies can mobilize their own technology to advance racial equity.

• 16 Oct 2023

Advancing Black Talent: From the Flight Ramp to 'Family-Sustaining' Careers at Delta

By emphasizing skills and expanding professional development opportunities, the airline is making strides toward recruiting and advancing Black employees. Case studies by Linda Hill offer an inside look at how Delta CEO Ed Bastian is creating a more equitable company and a stronger talent pipeline.

• 10 Oct 2023

In Empowering Black Voters, Did a Landmark Law Stir White Angst?

The Voting Rights Act dramatically increased Black participation in US elections—until worried white Americans mobilized in response. Research by Marco Tabellini illustrates the power of a political backlash.

• 26 Sep 2023

Unpacking That Icky Feeling of 'Shopping' for Diverse Job Candidates

Many companies want to bring a wider variety of lived experiences to their workforces. However, research by Summer Jackson shows how hiring managers' fears of seeming transactional can ultimately undermine their diversity goals.

• 14 Sep 2023

Working Moms Are Mostly Thriving Again. Can We Finally Achieve Gender Parity?

The pandemic didn't destroy the workplace advancements moms had achieved. However, not all of the positive changes forced by the crisis and remote work have stuck, says research by Kathleen McGinn and Alexandra Feldberg.

• 12 Sep 2023
• What Do You Think?

Who Gets the Loudest Voice in DEI Decisions?

Business leaders are wrestling with how to manage their organizations' commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. If you were a CEO, which constituency would you consider most: your employees, customers, or investors? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 08 Aug 2023

Black Employees Not Only Earn Less, But Deal with Bad Bosses and Poor Conditions

More than 900,000 reviews highlight broad racial disparities in the American working experience. Beyond pay inequities, research by Letian Zhang shows how Black employees are less likely to work at companies known for positive cultures or work-life balance.

• 26 Jul 2023

STEM Needs More Women. Recruiters Often Keep Them Out

Tech companies and programs turn to recruiters to find top-notch candidates, but gender bias can creep in long before women even apply, according to research by Jacqueline Ng Lane and colleagues. She highlights several tactics to make the process more equitable.

• 18 Jul 2023

Diversity and Inclusion at Mars Petcare: Translating Awareness into Action

In 2020, the Mars Petcare leadership team found themselves facing critically important inclusion and diversity issues. Unprecedented protests for racial justice in the U.S. and across the globe generated demand for substantive change, and Mars Petcare's 100,000 employees across six continents were ready for visible signs of progress. How should Mars’ leadership build on their existing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and effectively capitalize on the new energy for change? Harvard Business School associate professor Katherine Coffman is joined by Erica Coletta, Mars Petcare’s chief people officer, and Ibtehal Fathy, global inclusion and diversity officer at Mars Inc., to discuss the case, “Inclusion and Diversity at Mars Petcare.”

• 05 Jul 2023

How Are Middle Managers Falling Down Most Often on Employee Inclusion?

Companies are struggling to retain employees from underrepresented groups, many of whom don't feel heard in the workplace. What do managers need to do to build truly inclusive teams? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 01 Jun 2023

A Nike Executive Hid His Criminal Past to Turn His Life Around. What If He Didn't Have To?

Larry Miller committed murder as a teenager, but earned a college degree while serving time and set out to start a new life. Still, he had to conceal his record to get a job that would ultimately take him to the heights of sports marketing. A case study by Francesca Gino, Hise Gibson, and Frances Frei shows the barriers that formerly incarcerated Black men are up against and the potential talent they could bring to business.

• 31 May 2023

Why Business Leaders Need to Hear Larry Miller's Story

VIDEO: Nike executive Larry Miller concealed his criminal past to get a job. What if more companies were willing to hire people with blemishes on their records? Hise Gibson explores why business leaders should give the formerly incarcerated a second chance.

From Prison Cell to Nike’s C-Suite: The Journey of Larry Miller

VIDEO: Before leading one of the world’s largest brands, Nike executive Larry Miller served time in prison for murder. In this interview, Miller shares how education helped him escape a life of crime and why employers should give the formerly incarcerated a second chance. Inspired by a Harvard Business School case study.

• 08 May 2023

How Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Crushed Crowdfunding for Minority Entrepreneurs

When public anxiety about immigration surges, Black, Asian, and Hispanic inventors have a harder time raising funds for new ideas on Kickstarter, says research by William Kerr. What can platforms do to confront bias in entrepreneurial finance?

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

Case Study: What Does Diversity Mean in a Global Organization?

• David S. Lee

Needs may differ between headquarters and regional offices.

“We have a diversity problem.”

• DL David S. Lee  is a principal lecturer at the University of Hong Kong Business School, where he teaches, researches, and advises on topics related to ethics, fintech, and governance.

Partner Center