The School of Professional Studies advances Brown University’s commitment to executive education and its mission to develop reflective leaders, to create change in the world, and to improve human welfare. Under the leadership of Dean Karen Sibley, the School offers outstanding educational programs for executives and professionals who are ready for the challenge.

Date: July 16, 2018
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Location: Boston, MA

Increasingly, businesses are embracing diversity and inclusion as a means of forging a sustainable future. Under increasing scrutiny, and mindful of the benefits of diversity on the bottom line, many companies are trying to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce. Success has so far been marginal. With so much at stake, why aren’t these companies making more headway? At this lunch, we will explore the science of human behavior and the dynamics of teams, which question the assumptions about what makes diverse groups perform better than homogenous groups. We will review how measures that are counterintuitive to many organizations today, can help build more effective and better-performing teams.

Date: July 17, 2018
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Location: New York, NY

Striving to increase workplace diversity is a savvy business decision.  In a global analysis of 2,400 companies, organizations with at least one female board member yielded higher returns on equity and net income than their less diverse counterparts. Further research has revealed another, more nuanced benefit of workplace diversity: non-homogeneous teams are just smarter. At this lunch, we will dig into why diverse teams are beneficial and explore effective strategies that can help organizations build more intelligent and more effective units.