Religion and Interfaith Dialogue: The Forgotten Pedagogical DEI Initiative in Business Education and Strategic Planning

Abstract

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are considered “mission critical” objectives within higher education strategic planning processes and by accrediting bodies, particularly at private liberal arts-based institutions. A research gap currently exists with respect to how organized faith, religion, and interfaith dialogue play a pedagogical role in business, particularly when preparing undergraduate students for technical business careers in accounting, finance, and decision sciences. Viewed as the “forgotten DEI” initiative, interfaith dialogue is critical to success at multinational corporations and at the center of employee resource group (ERG) creation. The infusion of interfaith classroom examples, articles, and pedagogy can serve a dual purpose, both preparing undergraduates for careers in technical business disciplines and exposing them to cross-cultural dialogue necessary within multinational companies. This paper describes how religion and interfaith dialogue can be incorporated within the pedagogical design of technical business disciplines to help support DEI initiatives and students preparing for careers in a global world.