Workplace Diversity Goes Beyond Gender and Race

When corporate executives talk about diversity in the workplace, they are no longer referring just to gender and race, according to Laura Born, ’91, managing director in the North American investment banking coverage practice for JPMorganChase. The featured speaker for the diversity module kick-off luncheon at Core, the orientation program for first-year students hosted by the Office of Diversity Affairs, Born addressed an audience gathered in the Rothman Winter Garden of the Hyde Park Center September 15.

“We should and have gone beyond gender and race to include cultural and ethnic background, but a there’s a third broader and deeper category, and that is work styles,” said Born, There are “type A” and “type B” personalities, leaders and followers, extroverts and introverts, promoters and analyzers, people who have focused their career on operations and those on the front line with clients, she said. “Each of those styles and functions are critical to the success of an organization.”

Through an initiative at JPMorgan Chase on inclusive leadership, Born said, “We’re trying to achieve a true meritocracy that is color blind, ethnic blind, and work style blind that focuses on the differences of perspective and opinion that this diversity provides.” Without such an approach, individuals who are uncomfortable won’t be as productive, and firms will lose productivity, Born said.

She urged the students to reach out to those of different races, background, and approach to life. “There are plenty of opportunities to network with people just like you,” she said.

Patty Houlihan