Logo for Acting on our Values

After much thoughtful deliberation, SMA is adopting a new strategic initiative titled “ Acting On Our Values ” The long-term vision for Acting on Our Values is to dismantle systemic barriers that exist for anyone in our community who has been traditionally underrepresented in academia. The short-term mission of Acting on Our Values includes three broad areas of focus as described below. Although these initiatives are originating from SMA’s leadership, we believe that the engagement of our membership as a whole is critical to influencing, enforcing, and directing these efforts. In keeping with this idea, SMA as an organization will champion these three initiatives:

EducateEducate – Possible examples include PDIs on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and training sessions for administrators, educators, and mentors on how to foster and support DEI.
EmpowerEmpower – Possible examples include Town Hall discussions to understand and engage membership in this initiative; creation of funding opportunities for students from underrepresented groups attending our annual conference; SMA presence at and partnership with the PhD Project; creation of mentoring groups for senior SMA members to mentor early stage, underrepresented scholars.
EqualizeEqualize – Possible examples include setting aside research grants for faculty from underrepresented groups, actively encouraging members from underrepresented groups to become involved in leading SMA; supporting academic attention to issues of inequality in the workplace; and using JOM as a platform for these efforts.

The specific activities that fall under each focus area will change and evolve as we learn more through the involvement of our members and engaging diversity and racial justice experts. We would like to encourage all of our members who are performing research in the areas of race, diversity, discrimination, and other related topics to continue their vital work and see this as a strong sign of the relevance and importance of such research.

The SMA President will report on the progress made on each area above, while the President-Elect will lay out the agenda for Acting on Our Values in their term at the Business meeting at the Annual meeting of the SMA each year.

On January 8th, 2023, the SMA Board of Directors adopted the following policy statement further clarifying the scope of the Acting on Our Values initiative: Revised “Acting on our Values” Statement.

Previous Action:

  1. Webinar on Systematic Barriers and the SMA Acting on Our Values Initiative (Co-Sponsored with the Management Faculty of Color Association
  2. Acting on our Values at the 2020 Meeting of the Southern Management Association
  3. SMA Board of Directors adopts policy statement clarifying the scope of Acting on Our Values initiative. January 8, 2023. See Revised “Acting on our Values” Statement
  4. April 14, 2023 — SMA Hosts first-ever Virtual Summit focused on Issues in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion