Frustrated with the lack of progress towards gender equality in the economy, proponents of diversity are building the "business case" for action. But, the "business case" may do more harm than good by sending signals that women need to be better than men in order to be included in corporate leadership, as investors or as entrepreneurs. In this TEDx talk, Sarah Kaplan shows how the myth of meritocracy unintentionally reinforces privilege and blocks further moves towards gender equality. She also suggests that if we treat the diversity challenge as an innovation problem, we can make progress.

Sarah Kaplan is University of Toronto Distinguished Professor of Gender and the Economy, Professor of Strategic Management and Director of the Institute for Gender + the Eco. She is author of the business bestseller, Creative Destruction which challenges the myth of sustainable competitive advantage. Her current research continues this exploration of how organizations participate in and respond to the emergence of new fields, examining biotechnology, fiber optics, financial services, nanotechnology and the field emerging at the nexus of gender and finance. Her interest in gender lens investing is in understanding how whole new ecosystems can be built. She recently authored “The Risky Rhetoric of Female Risk Aversion,” “Meritocracy: From Myth to Reality,” and “The Rise of Gender Capitalism.” Formerly a professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a consultant for nearly a decade at McKinsey & Company, she received her PhD from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.


This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx