A Systems Thinking Approach to Hispanic Engineer’s Involvement in Corporate Diversity Networks

Affinity networks, also known as Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), are increasingly essential in today’s corporate world as they play a crucial role in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within organizations. These groups provide a platform for employees from underrepresented or marginalized communities to connect, share experiences, and find support. ERGs geared towards Hispanic employees are often advertised as not only a means to connect with others and provide a sense of belonging but are also often promoted as avenues towards successful professional development and growth for underrepresented employees. This research explores the perspectives of a group of experienced engineers from various technical backgrounds and industries to understand if there is a correlation between generational status for Hispanic Americans and their overall perceived benefits from participating in ERGs. The study provides a detailed literature review of relevant existing research on this subject, followed by semi-structured interviews of ten participants, and a thematic analysis approach used to analyze the data into the following five themes: diversity considerations for school and job selections, employee perspective on ERGs, sense of belonging and generational differences, the meaning of inclusiveness, and continued participation. Finally, a research conclusion and a series of recommendations are provided.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

System Design and Management Program.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Chambe, Enoch

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Moser, Bryan R.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
• Copyright retained by author(s)

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/157208

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/157208