First Nations’ band managers typically play dual roles, serving as both finance and human-resources manager, but finances are often their primary focus, says Miranda Kennedy, the Vice President of Human Resources at Okimaw Community & HR Solutions, a company that works with First Nations and related organizations. “Rarely is anyone in the band office equipped to manage employee grievances, workplace safety or updating policies and procedures,” Kennedy told Prof. Karl Moore in an interview for The Globe and Mail.

The Dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management wants to give out keys to doors that were once locked. “The hope and dream is to create opportunities for others,” Yolande Chan told Bill Brownstein in an interview for the Montreal Gazette. “As a Black dean, I’m not about exclusion. I’m about inclusion. We want to be representative of the markets we serve as businesses. Diversity inclusion is a core, high strategic priority for this faculty, as well as throughout McGill. It isn’t just race.

Quebec’s Finance Minister, Eric Girard (BCom’89) recently added the portfolio of Minister Responsible for Relations with English-Speaking Quebecers to his responsibilities. This makes him a key voice on Bill 96, the French-language bill passed by the Coalition Avenir Quebec government in 2022. “French is in decline in Canada, Quebec, Montreal, so the numbers are undeniable,” says Girard, who has met with groups and individuals from the English community to understand their concerns. “By now I understand a few things where we can do better.

According to a recent study by researchers at Lancaster University Management School in the UK, executive education can yield benefits for those who undertake it, as well as their wider organizations. Dr. Martin Brigham and Professors Mike Reynolds and Lucas Introna surveyed 76 participants in the International Masters Program for Managers (IMPM), which is delivered by five partner universities, including Lancaster, McGill, and institutions in India, Japan and Brazil.

Pandemic lockdowns allowed ample time for self-reflection, and some took it as an opportunity to make significant life decisions. One of those was setting new boundaries of what was acceptable in their working lives. This contributed to the so-called Great Resignation, which saw millions of people leave their jobs. But it’s a trend that could have some staying power, says Elena Obukhova, Associate Professor of Strategy & Organization at Desautels.

Male-dominated startups have more difficulty hiring female talent, and their company’s gender dynamics play a role. An article in Forbes.com cites research from Desautels Prof. Elena Obukhova, which has shown that female job-seekers give consideration to how women are treated in their prospective workplaces. Women MBA job-seekers do the same networking that their male counterparts do, but also use the networking process to assess a company’s gender dynamics and support for parenting.

We want everyone to thrive and succeed in the workplace, says Prof. Patricia Faison Hewlin, but organizations need feedback from their employees for relationships to develop and to learn from mistakes, to improve, to innovate. But asking people to speak up is its own challenge. On January 23, Faison Hewlin shared insights about how it can be accomplished as part of the University of Oregon’s African American Workshop and Lecture Series.