Laura discusses the importance of students learning about diversity in entrepreneurship, producing a case that combines both published sources and field research, plus much more.
Laura said: “I was inspired to write this case to push business students to consider the value diversity has in entrepreneurship and imagine what a more inclusive entrepreneurial industry might look like in the future.
“The entrepreneurial world has historically been a white male-dominated space, and to this day female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of colour continue to struggle for a seat at the table.
“This case explores the journey of venture capitalist and founder Arlan Hamilton, whose work has challenged the status quo of venture capital. Hamilton, an LGBTQ+, African-American woman, has sought to redefine the historically white male-dominated venture capital space by founding Backstage Capital, an investment fund which seeks to only support African American female entrepreneurs.
“This case introduces students to important concepts in entrepreneurship, such as the world of early-stage financing, diversity, inequality, and implicit bias.”
Combining field research and published sources
Laura continued: “Backstage Capital is certainly very media savvy, which was very helpful in gathering publicly available information and learning more about the firm’s background on my own.
“However, I was also able to conduct interviews with Arlan Hamilton and other leaders at the firm. These interviews provided greater insight into Arlan’s personal journey and the mission of Backstage Capital, which is greatly reflected in the case.”
Structuring a case
She added: “This case handles many controversial and complex topics, which challenged me to structure the case in a way that ensures students are left with a holistic understanding of the main learning objectives. Diversity and inclusion are incredibly complicated topics that all businesses must grapple with at some point. There is also a difference between learning about diversity and inclusion in a classroom setting and actually applying it as a policy in the workplace. Given this complexity, I think it is very important that business students are introduced to these concepts early in their education, and the case study learning model is the perfect medium.
“As such, I wanted to make sure this case study gives students, particularly those not already familiar with these concepts, a hands-on experience in thinking about diversity in the workplace. Presenting Backstage Capital as both an ethnically exclusive yet minority-championing investment firm accomplished this challenging task by encouraging students to think about diversity not just as a concept, but also a reality which is applied in actual workplace environments.”
Managing class discussion
Laura concluded: “In general, the ideas of diversity, inclusion, and implicit bias tend to be controversial topics that can lead to disagreement among people. Particularly if a class is comprised of students with vastly different life experiences and backgrounds, opinions of what is right and wrong can be polarising, which can be reflected in the class discussion.
“I think that passionate discussions on these topics are a great opportunity for students to hear and learn from each other, which is the optimal result of an in-class case discussion.
“With that said, it is important that spirited debate does not cross the line into heated arguments or offensive commentary – when this happens, no one in the class benefits. This is where the instructor must step in and assume responsibility for monitoring the class discussion. While we should be mindful of all students’ opinions, the instructor must also ensure that the class discussions remain civil, inclusive, and constructive to imparting the learning objectives.”
About the authors
Laura Huang is MBA Class of 1954 Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.
e lhuang@hbs.edu
Tw @LauraHuangLA
Sarah Mehta is a Case Researcher at Harvard Business School.
Who – the protagonist
Arlan started her own Venture Capital firm (they provide a form of private equity to start-up companies and small businesses that are believed to have long-term growth) after growing frustrated at unsuccessful attempts to convince existing funds to invest in companies founded by women, people of colour, and LGBTQ+ people.
Where?
