Nilanjana Dasgupta

Nilanjana Dasgupta discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Nilanjana Dasgupta is provost professor of psychology and inaugural director of the Institute of Diversity Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is the author of many articles; the winner of the Hidden Bias Research Prize from the Kapor Foundation; and the recipient of multiple U.S. government research grants. Her work has been featured in the New York Times and other major outlets. Her new book is Change the Wallpaper.

1. Diversity training doesn’t change people’s behavior nor the organizations in which they work. Do you know we spend 8 billion dollars on diversity training each year? Only a few DEI trainings are grounded in science; most are not.

2. Our behaviour is shaped by situational forces more often than our personal beliefs. What do I mean by situational forces? They include the opinions of our colleagues, peers, and bosses. The roles we occupy and the role-based norms and expectations of how we should act.

3. The path to culture change is not individual heroes. In fact, individuals acting alone are powerless. But individuals acting together with intention are powerful movers of cultures.

4. Talent is made, not born. Did you know that young Einstein early in life was pretty average? He struggled in school as a child. He didn’t get admission into his college of choice the first time but got in after a second attempt.

5. Playing for change: A global music project turned movement turned non-profit organization for social good that connects the world through music. The idea came from the belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and connect people across the world.

6. Travel in Kerala, India. A mixture of cultures, religions, ethnic groups, food, weather, landscapes, showing co-existence and contrasts. On the west coast of India, jutting out into the Arabian Sea.

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