Minorities 'not wanted,' says survey.

• Author: Heffes, Ellen M.
• Position: DIVERSITY - Survey - Brief article

More than half of directors (55 percent) surveyed at U.S. publicly traded companies said they would not like to see their boards become more diverse by increasing their minority representation. This is according to a survey conducted by executive-recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles international Inc. and the Center for Effective Organizations (CEO) at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business.

"Given that we are working in very different times, it is surprising that directors' reactions to the issue of minority representation have not advanced from our study 12 years ago," says Ed Lawler, CEO director and a distinguished professor of business at USC Marshall.

"We expected an increased appetite for increased minority representation," he says.

Having said that, Lawler, adds, "While there is little commitment to increasing representation on the board, many directors (82 percent) recognize that having a diverse board can be beneficial to companies because "diversity contributes to a broader range of decision options for considerations."

Among other...