Pepperdine Graziadio Announces Doctor of Business Administration Dissertation Defense on the Positive Impact of Women and Minorities in Leadership

Earlier this month, Sharifa Batts, Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) candidate defended her dissertation research on “Social and Human Capital Contributions of Diverse Board Members”. Noting that while many firms serve a diverse population, very few, if any, have minorities or women serving as members on their boards. Batts builds her studies on current boardroom diversity and board effectiveness research by exploring how the unique human and social capital contributions of women and minority board members increase the boards’ capabilities and impact board governance. Batts completed her research under the guidance of her dissertation committee which included Cristina Gibson and Bobbi Thomason from Pepperdine Graziadio and Felton Williams, President of the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education.

Building on the idea that boards are disadvantaged when their composition fails to align with their employee population or the stakeholder groups they serve, Batts, using a multiple case comparison approach argues that by omission, they are neglecting the contributions of women and minorities. Her findings showed the contribution of learned strategies and unique interactions along with the diverse board members’ human and social capital, resulted in a positive influence on both the board and firm’s effectiveness.

Batt’s research dissertation defense took place on Friday, July 9, during which she made the case for the value of diversity on organizational boards and the unique human and social capital women and minorities bring to the table.

More information on Sharifa Batts’s work and education can be found on her LinkedIn.