Building on the Promise of Diversity: How We Can Move to the Next Level in Our Workplaces, Our Communities, and Our Society

That Dr. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. is searching for the next level of diversity is not unusual considering his stature as a respected guru in the field. But when Dr. Thomas says diversity has become a politicized "code word for affirmative action," and we - meaning organizations and society - are going to have a hard time getting to any next level because we're stuck in muddle-headed thinking about diversity, well, that is unusual! (He defines affirmative action as "the recruitment, promotion and retention of members of 'protected classes'" in the United States.) Thomas believes most organizational leaders, as well as society, have accepted the politicized definition of diversity, which positions it as a win/lose power struggle. We understand diversity through the lens of struggle because that's how we understand differences. The power struggle is a legacy of the Civil Rights Movement and of affirmative action, and we would argue it is also a legacy of other institutions which the United States has used to approach differences, such as Indian reservations, slavery, segregation and Jim Crow laws, Japanese internment, to name a few). If you are looking for a book to clarify your thinking about diversity, the legacies of Civil Rights and affirmative action, and how to improve people's ability to manage diversity, this book is essential reading. If you are looking for a thorough description of what the next level of diversity is, you won't find it. If we understand Dr. Thomas correctly, we have to master the craft of diversity management in order to discover what the next level is. Care to join us? By Kyla Meyers and Barbara Deane, editors at DiveristyCentral.com