Examining Organizational Contextual Features that Affect Implementation of Equity Initiatives

Campuses worldwide struggle to create greater equity for different groups of students. This qualitative study examined the Equity Scorecard Project aimed at helping institutions create more equitable outcomes for all students. This article focuses on organizational contextual features that enable and inhibit implementation of these types of initiatives. The findings reveal six contextual features that are crucial when implementing projects: knowledge capacity, physical capacity, institutional willingness to reflect, project connection with institutional operations, leadership within both the team and the institution, and racial climate and intergroup relations. Detailed case examples are used to illustrate the findings.