“Make a ripple”: DEI learning transfer from the graduate classroom to the workplace among part-time graduate students

This study examined how part-time graduate students apply Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) learning from a graduate classroom to the workplace, against the backdrop of increasing resistance to DEI initiatives in business schools and workplaces in the United States. Current socio-political challenges, including anti-DEI legislation and organizational pushback, pose significant obstacles to embedding DEI in management education. Employing critical constructivist grounded theory, this study interviewed 19 part-time graduate students in a Southeastern US university and examined the lessons students learned, how they applied them in their workplaces, and the factors that influenced DEI learning transfer (DEILT). Findings reveal that DEI courses grounded in intersectional, historical, and decolonial perspectives disrupted surface-level approaches to DEI and inspired ongoing, holistic transformations in the students. These transformations spanned changes in behaviors, attitudes, mindsets, and a deeper understanding of DEI. Despite challenges such as socio-political resistance and organizational barriers, relational support, effective pedagogical strategies, and students’ personal and professional motivations emerged as key enablers of meaningful DEILT. This study offers a robust framework for strengthening the connection between DEI management education and practice by advocating for a critical, intersectional lens in learning transfer.