MIT Sloan Management Review Article on A ‘Whole Company' Approach for Justice and Equity

Racial justice and health equity demand an integrated approach that prioritizes internal coordination and collaboration.

Delivering an effective executive leadership response to nationwide protests over racial injustice and the COVID-19 pandemic requires more than perfunctory statements and philanthropic gestures of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Companies must move beyond “giving back” through the siloed efforts of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) or community relations department toward an integrated, “whole company” approach that can facilitate needed changes to hiring, compensation, promotions, sourcing, and other core business practices. Since many companies want to be part of the solution but don’t know how to get there, we offer C-suite leaders five key steps to develop a whole-company approach that enables racial and health justice.

About the Author

Emma-Louise Aveling is a research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Jane Roberts is a research associate and teaching fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Lauren A Taylor (@laurentaylor_lt) is a postdoctoral fellow at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Amy C. Edmondson (@amycedmondson) is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. Sara J. Singer (@sarajeansinger) is a professor of medicine at Stanford Medical School and a professor of organizational behavior, by courtesy, at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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