MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Linking Good Intentions to Intentional Action

It’s been a little over a year since a groundswell of calls for racial justice began to build, fueled by the killings of Ahmaud Arbery in February and Breonna Taylor in March 2020. After George Floyd was killed last May, driving more Americans out to protest under the banner of Black Lives Matter than had demonstrated during the 1960s civil rights movement, an unprecedented number of organizations took a public stand and pledged to join the fight for racial justice.

We applaud organizations for speaking out and making their support — and intentions — for racial justice clear to employees, customers, and other stakeholders. But, as we noted last year, speaking out is not enough. Organizations must walk the talk by taking specific actions that advance racial equity. Their public statements raise the bar for what employees — particularly Black employees — not only hope for but also believe their companies will deliver.

About the Author

Enrica N. Ruggs (@enruggs) is an assistant professor of management and director for the Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis. Derek R. Avery is the C.T. Bauer Chair of Inclusive Leadership in the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.

Learn more about MIT SMR.