Twentieth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

This study was designed to determine if Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Predominately White Universities (PWI) exhibit variances in policies, practices, infrastructures, and obligations to the commercialization of research. HBCUs were selected because they historically prepare underrepresented minorities for the challenges of the global economy. The researcher implemented an explanatory sequential mixed method algorithm from a population of faculty affiliated with research-intensive HBCUs and PWIs, as defined by the Carnegie Classifications. The theoretical framework that served as a lens for this research draws from Uhl-Bien, Marion, and McKelvey’s (2007) complexity leadership theory (CLT). The quantitative findings revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the perceptions of HBCU and PWI faculty relevant to institutional policies, practices, and infrastructures as it related to the commercialization of research and the production of marketable products and services. There was a statistically significant difference in the perception of HBCU and PWI faculty as it related to their responsibility to commercialize research, with HBCU faculty demonstrating a higher sense of obligation. The emergent themes from the qualitative study were (a) access to institutional policies relevant to the commercialization of research, (b) cultivating a communal sense of obligation to commercialize research, (c) the intersectionality of higher education and industry, and (d) HBCU faculty perceptions of the commercialization infrastructures. The qualitative findings supported the results of the quantitative analysis as HBCU faculty members acknowledged the importance of commercializing their research as a means to engage in global commerce through the customization of institutional missions.