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Book Review
Making Diversity Work
7 Steps for Defeating Bias in
the Workplace
Author
Sondra Thiederman, Ph.D
ISBN 0-7931-7763-4
Some books are written simply to impart knowledge
to others. Some books are written to fulfill a strong personal interest by the
author. It is the rare book that is written because there is a deeply genuine
need for it. Making Diversity WORK is that rare book that was written
for all the reasons above. Author
Sondra Thiederman attempts to strip off the “veneer” of diversity that exists
in the modern workplace to examine the real reasons why diversity is hard to
talk about and even harder to achieve! This book may make you uncomfortable,
but maybe that is exactly what we all need to feel in order to achieve a level
of diversity that respects and honors all people for what they can contribute.
Early on in this work Sondra Thiederman
candidly discusses her own cultural background and how she recognized her own
personal biases. The purpose is to show that if we honestly examine ourselves
and become mindful of our biases, we can dissect and set those biases aside.
After spending 25 years providing practical results to some of the largest
international organizations in their quest for diversity, Thiederman is a
leading expert on this subject and it is prominently reflected in this book.
She also received a doctorate in cross-cultural studies from UCLA.
Making Diversity WORK has three major parts
which are embedded in thirteen interesting chapters. Each chapter ends with a
conclusion and summary to reinforce their major points. Part one examines the
basics of bias including the correct and incorrect definitions of bias, and how
it is learned and taught to all of us. It is in this part that you will learn
the term Guerilla
Bias™ and how it can affect us in subtle ways. The
second part of the book is the largest and deals with self-discovery, how our
biases can hurt us and how we can strive to overcome them. The third part of
the book is about creating healthy dialogue which the author calls gateway events. What are these
events? Our workplaces are filled with opportunities to engage in conversations
about bias. Typically there is discord in the work environment between people
who are different from each other. These incidents are capable of bringing
about productive dialogue and serve
as gateways to create greater understanding and reduce bias. This final part also outlines some cognitive and verbal
skills to generate diversity dialogue.
Diversity isn’t just a good thing to do;
morally it is the right thing to do. Our modern workplace is more diverse than
ever before in recorded human history. Diversity means a greater talent pool,
larger markets, and the unfortunate potential for discord in the workplace. Making
Diversity WORK is a frank and powerful book that dares to challenge us and
prods us to live up to the democratic ideals of fairness, equity and
accountability. If you desire to read just one powerful book on this important
subject, Making Diversity WORK should be it!
To read an exclusive weLEAD interview with Sondra Thiederman please click here!
weLEAD rating - highly recommended
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This Book at a Discounted Price Here!
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