Earlier this month, a survey conducted by Heidrick & Struggles and USC’s Marshall School of Business revealed that a majority (55%) of corporate directors of publicly-traded companies do not support diverse representation on their companies’ boards.

“Given that we are working in very different times it is surprising that directors’ reactions to the issue of minority representation have not advanced fro our study 12 years ago.” Said Dr. Ed Lawler, professor of business at USC.  “We expected an increased appetite for minority representation.  Having said that, while there is little commitment to increasing representation on the board,many directors recognize that having a diverse board can be beneficial to the company because diversity contributes to a broader range of decision options for considerations.”

Of the respondents who said they would like to increase board diversity, special consideration was being given to women, followed by African Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos.

Along with diversity, the survey took many issues into account, including sustainability, CEO compensation, and human capital. 

Tags: business news, corporate representation, Diversity, Race

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