Critical Analysis Strategic Deviation 2
Abstract
Derek Avery's analysis, "How Outlawing Collegiate Affirmative Action Will Impact Corporate
America,” discusses the decrease in opportunities for minority professionals after the Supreme
Court’s affirmative action ruling. There are differing viewpoints on this topic, and a merit-based
stance backed by specific Asian American organizations is one of the significant debate points.
These differences in opinions make it clear that equity decisions are complicated.
Keywords: affirmative action, workplace demographics, diversity trends
Critical Analysis Strategic Deviation 3
Article Review
There are many different viewpoints on affirmative action in higher education. In his
article "How Outlawing Collegiate Affirmative Action Will Impact Corporate America," Derek
Avery discusses how the Supreme Court's decision on college affirmative action will affect
under-represented admissions to prestigious institutions. He then further assesses how these
patterns could influence workplace demographics. Mr. Avery’s article also discusses the
potential consequences of reducing under-represented minorities to prestigious universities in
corporate America. This reduction could lead to a decrease in diverse representation in the
workforce. The result would be decreased compensation and career progression (Avery, 2023).
Opinion
As an executive who oversees a 72,000-member employee resource network program
(ERN) at Wells Fargo, I appreciate Avery's insights on the downstream impacts in corporate
America. In a 2022 survey of seventy-two thousand ERN members, 60% expressed a desire for
professional development and promotion. This revealed the opportunity gap for underrepresented
employees who may have needed access to prestigious programs focusing on career success in
competitive industries, such as banking. On the other hand, drawing from my experience as an
admissions officer at the United States Military Academy at West Point, it is a known fact that
admitting ill-equipped students often results in non-graduation.
Strengths, Weaknesses, and an Alternative Viewpoint
One of the notable strengths of the article lies in its utilization of a study of 11,000
businesses that took place from 1985 to 2015. The analysis highlighted a significant decrease in
the promotions of black managers in corporate America after affirmative action bans took place,
particularly in companies by conservative CEOs (Avery, 2023). However, Avery's article does
Critical Analysis Strategic Deviation 4
have several areas for improvement; for example, he has yet to stipulate that the discussion
pertains to qualified candidates explicitly, and the omission of this crucial detail undermines the
argument's credibility. The author also needs to mention that employers can still enhance
diversity and establish diversity objectives without violating the law due to Title VII (Coln et al.,
2023). An alternative viewpoint held by several Asian American organizations is that the United
States is an economy that is based on capitalism and that the free market should rule the day.
They argue that admissions decisions should be merit-based and not consider race or ethnicity
(Park et al., 2023).
Conclusion
As the debate around diversity, inclusion, and affirmative action in higher education
continues, citizens of the United States should continue to contribute to the discussion and
investigate theo the implications of policies that influence college admissions and workforce
diversity. Derek Avery's article focuses on how admissions to prestigious institutions could
impact diversity in the workplace, especially in management positions. The potential decline in
diversity among prestigious colleges poses a possible challenge for corporate recruitment at these
universities. Although Asian American organizations and others advocate for a merit-based
approach that utilizes free-market principles, others emphasize affirmative action's importance in
addressing historical inequities. Litigation battles continue over corporate diversity, equity, and
inclusion programs (Odell et al., 2023). Some are calling for courts to deem these programs
unconstitutional. As the debate continues, it is imperative to consider the views of all sides. This
way, we can ensure an equitable society for everyone.
Critical Analysis Strategic Deviation 5
References
Avery, D. (2023, October). How Outlawing Collegiate Affirmative Action Will Impact Corporate
America. MIT Sloan Management Review.
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-
journals/how-outlawing-collegiate-affirmative-action-will/docview/2954921856/se-2?
accountid=12085
Coln, C., Eisenmann, E., George, S., & Paetkau, T. (2023, August 5). Legal update: Impact of
U.S. Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision on private employer DEI programs and
recommendations for employers. Legal Update | Impact of U.S. Supreme Court’s
Affirmative Action Decision on Private Employer DEI Programs and Recommendations
for Employers | Husch Blackwell.
https://www.huschblackwell.com/newsandinsights/impact-of-us-supreme-courts-
affirmative-action-decision-on-private-employer-dei-programs-and-recommendations-for-
employers
Odell, F., Park, J. K., Lee, C., & Walden, J. (2023). Implications for boards of directors of the
Supreme Court’s sffa affirmative action decision. Board Leadership, 2023(190), 1–8.
https://doi.org/10.1002/bl.30251
Park, E., Orum Hernández, G., & Lee, S. J. (2022). Asian Americans and the battle against
affirmative action: Opposition to race-based admissions as neoliberal racial subjectivity
performance. Race Ethnicity and Education, 1–21.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2022.2154331
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Appendix
CRITICAL ANALYSIS: STRATEGIC DEVIATION TEMPLATE
Research problem: The consequences of reducing diversity among prestigious colleges. The
result is less racial and ethnic diversity in corporate America, specifically among managers.
There is also a secondary impact on decreased compensation and career progression.
Purpose statement: The article highlights how reducing diversity among underrepresented
applicants to prestigious colleges impacts corporate recruitment. It ultimately addresses the
implications of a decrease in diversity in corporate America, which can impact compensation
and career progression.
Overarching research question and hypothesis: How does the potential reduction in diversity
among prestigious colleges due to the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling influence
workplace demographics and corporate recruitment, which leads to disparities for
underrepresented minorities in compensation and career progression?
Population/sample: The article's population sample consists of a study of 11,000 businesses
from 1985 to 2015 that studied the impact of Affirmative Action laws in corporate America.
The results were used to predict the effects of the Supreme Court’s ruling on collegiate
affirmative action programs on admissions.
The leading theory is through which the problem and results are framed and interpreted.
Provide the lead descriptor and its central premise. One to two sentences: Critical Race
theory is how this problem is framed. Critical Race Theory frames the issue as rooted in
underrepresentation at senior levels in the workforce and interprets the results through the lens
of inequities in admissions to prestigious universities.
Research approach/design/method: This quantitative analysis is based on a comprehensive
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study of 11,000 businesses from 1985 to 2015.
Constructs: Supreme Court decision on college affirmative action leading to reduced diversity
in the workplace.
Variables: Reduced diversity in prestigious colleges - independent, reduced diverse
management in the workplace - independent, decreased management and senior level
opportunities for the underrepresented - dependent
Main limitations and assumptions: This article's main limitations include older data dating
from 2008 to 2012, a discussion of only a few industries, and a limited scope as it does not
explicitly mention qualified minorities.
Recommend follow-up research or related problem to expand on or close gaps in
knowledge in the broad topic area: A follow-up research study needs to investigate the long-
term effects of the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action and its impact on
underrepresented minorities at prestigious universities and the follow-on effects in corporate
America. The research should also do a comparative study on organizations that have
successful of organizations that have successfully implemented diversity initiatives versus those
that have not.
Article Overview:
Supporting Peer-Reviewed Research Articles:
“Legal update: Impact of U.S. Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision on private employer
DEI programs and recommendations for employers”: This article provides a legal update on
the consequences of the U.S. Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling for private employer
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
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“Implications for boards of directors of the Supreme Court’s SFFA affirmative action
decision”: The article offers insights into how boards can navigate the Supreme Court’s
decision on affirmative action.
Alternative View Peer-Reviewed Research Article:
“Asian Americans and the battle against affirmative action: Opposition to race-based
admissions as neoliberal racial subjectivity performance”: The article focuses on Asian
Americans' opposition to race-based admissions policies. Asian organizations believe that
university admission decisions should be merit-based.
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