Nudging Toward Diversity: Applying Behavioral Design to Faculty Hiring

Abstract

This narrative and integrative literature review synthesizes the literature on when, where, and how the faculty hiring process used in most American higher education settings operates with implicit and cognitive bias. The literature review analyzes the “four phases” of the faculty hiring process, drawing on theories from behavioral economics and social psychology. The results show that although much research establishes the presence of bias in hiring, relatively few studies examine interventions or “nudges” that might be used to mitigate bias and encourage the recruitment and hiring of faculty identified as women and/or faculty identified as being from an underrepresented minority group. This article subsequently makes recommendations for historical, quasi-experimental, and randomized studies to test hiring interventions with larger databases and more controlled conditions than have previously been used, with the goal of establishing evidence-based practices that contribute to a more inclusive hiring process and a more diverse faculty.

Hold the Torch: Shining a Light on the Lives of Black Management Faculty

“…The way job positions are advertised plays a role in driving a diverse talent pool (see O'Meara et al, 2020). In job postings, it is important to emphasize the school's commitment to diversity in concrete ways, like having formal mentorship opportunities (O'Meara et al, 2020). Even emphasizing the school's desire to have faculty with experience across diverse, multicultural settings and highlighting the department's emphasis on diversity has been shown in studies to influence the number of minority applicants (D. Smith et al, 2004).…”

“…Black applicants are often advised that race may be an advantage on the job market but often find a very different reality awaiting them. Prior studies note common obstacles facing Black faculty when seeking employment, such as having an underresourced social network, being undervalued or disregarded by university employers, and especially important, having to carefully consider the university’s local racial climate (for safety and acceptance purposes) when pursuing and/or accepting a job (O’Meara, Culpepper, & Templeton, 2020; Pedulla & Pager, 2019).…”

“…The idea of the “old boys’ network” acting as a major facilitator to access into academia has been established for some time (Menges & Exum, 1983). Even from the commencement of the hiring process, when job market announcements are drafted (i.e., the signals sent from wording in the ad) and posted (i.e., choices of where to post), there can be positive or negative effects on the number of minority applications received (O’Meara et al, 2020; D. Smith, Turner, Osei-Kofi, & Richards, 2004).…”

“…Although many schools tout their interest in hiring minority faculty, often they propose that a pipeline problem exists, suggesting there are not enough available Black candidates or that they will be harder to get due to a bidding war. O’Meara et al (2020) note that this is a misconception, citing several studies that find that most minority candidates have only a few job offers and that significant increases in pay did not emerge (see D. Smith et al, 2004; D.…”

“…The talent pool must be sufficiently diverse to have more equitable outcomes (O’Meara et al, 2020; Stewart & Valian, 2018). The way job positions are advertised plays a role in driving a diverse talent pool (see O’Meara et al, 2020).…”