Home
Human Resources
HR Management
The End of Diversity As We Know It

The End of Diversity As We Know It Why Diversity Efforts Fail and How Leveraging Difference Can Succeed

Name: The End of Diversity As We Know It
Brand: Berrett-Koehler
SKU: 9781605093437
Price: 332.50 HKD
Availability: OutOfStock
Author: Martin Davidson
ISBN: 9781605093437

By Martin Davidson

Berrett-Koehler November 2011

Specifications

ISBN-13: 9781605093437
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler
Publication: November 2011
Format: Hardback , 264 pages
Jurisdiction: International ? Countri(es) for reference only

Details

The idea for this book came to Martin Davidson during a disarmingly honest conversation with a CFO he worked with. “Look,” the executive said, clearly troubled. “I know we can get a diverse group of people around the table. But so what? What difference does it really make to getting bottom-line results?”

Answering the “so what?” led Davidson to explore the flaws in how companies typically manage diversity. They don’t integrate diversity into their overall business strategy. They focus on differences that have little impact on their business. And often their diversity efforts end up hindering the professional development of the very people they were designed to help.

Davidson explains how what he calls Leveraging Difference™ turns persistent diversity problems into solutions that drive business results. Difference becomes a powerful source of sustainable competitive advantage instead of a distracting mandate handed down from HR.

To begin with, leaders must identify the differences most important to achieving organizational goals, even if the differences aren’t the obvious ones. The second challenge is to help employees work together to understand the ways these differences matter to the business. Finally, leaders need to experiment with how to use these relevant differences to get things done. Davidson provides compelling examples of how organizations have tackled each of these challenges.

Ultimately this is a book about leadership. As with any other strategic imperative, leaders need to take an active role—drive rather than just delegate. Successfully leveraging difference can be what distinguishes an ordinary organization from an extraordinary one.

Introduction: A New Possibility for Difference

Chapter 1: The End of Diversity as We Know It

Chapter 2: The Beginning of Levaraging Difference

Chapter 3: The Leveraging Difference Capability

Chapter 4: Seeing Difference

Chapter 5: Understanding Difference

Chapter 6: Engaging Difference

Chapter 7: Becoming a Levaraging Difference Organization

Epilogue: The Power of the Margin

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Martin N. Davidson is associate professor of leadership and organizational behavior at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, and served as associate dean and chief diversity officer. He has consulted with dozens of Fortune 500 firms, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, including Merrill Lynch Global Wealth & Investment Management, AT&T, Pitney Bowes, Harvard University, and the Nature Conservancy. He was elected chair of the Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division of the Academy of Management and has been featured in numerous media outlets including the New York Times, Businessweek, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and National Public Radio.

Reviews

"Martin Davidson has developed a transformative insight: that a key to building innovative companies is to replace well-intentioned but generally ineffective ‘managing diversity’ programs with Leveraging Difference initiatives. I would highly recommend this book to any CEO, manager, or HR professional who wants to build a sustainable, high-performance organization."
—Decker Anstrom, US Ambassador, World Radiocommunication Conference, US Department of State; former President, Landmark Communications; and former Chair, The Weather Channel Companies

“This book presents a realistic look at the diversity challenge and proposes pragmatic ways to achieve meaningful change along with useful tools for the journey. I wish that I had read this before I became CEO.”
—Steve Reinemund, Dean of Business, Wake Forest University School of Business, and retired Chair and CEO, PepsiCo

“Martin Davidson brings a fresh and compelling look at why our three-decades-long investment in ‘managing diversity’ has come up short. He then offers a new paradigm for guiding our efforts to make diversity a resource for organizational and individual development and performance. Based on extensive research, The End of Diversity as We Know It offers new insights and tools that will help leaders ensure their companies and organizations get the benefits of the diversity within them.”
—David A. Thomas, Dean, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University; former Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; and coauthor of Breaking Through: The Making of Minority Executives in Corporate America

“Martin Davidson makes us all take pause and reflect on the diversity and inclusion work we’ve been part of over the past decade or so and how we must move ahead to transform this critical work across all dimensions of difference. This book is truly thought-provoking and provides excellent practical tools."
—Claudette J. Whiting, President, CJW Consulting, and former head of diversity, Microsoft Corporation and DuPont Corporation

“I would hope every industry leader would read and embrace the book’s major conclusions and recommendations to not only alter marginally successful diversity practices but, more importantly, leverage difference to enhance shareholder value.”
—James Lowry, Senior Advisor, The Boston Consulting Group

Out of stock

This title is currently unavailable for purchase.