Making Diversity Work: Seven Steps for Defeating Bias in the Workplace

I used this book to educate myself more fully before meeting with some folks about diversity and found the book well-written, easy to understand because of great examples, and the information was "real" and up-to-date.

Some books are written simply to impart knowledge to others. Other 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!

In her wise and insightful new book, Making Diversity Work, Dr. Sondra Thiederman examines the roots of diversity-related dilemmas to reveal how our own biases get in the way of our relationships with people we perceive as different from ourselves. Dr. Thiederman's thought-provoking thesis breaks new ground and elevates diversity discussions by rejecting finger-pointing as a strategy and replacing it with personal responsibility instead. No one is free of bias, but Dr. Thiederman gives us the cognitive and verbal tools to help us move forward to a place where we can respect each other and value our differences. Making Diversity Work is a must-have reference for anyone who wants to improve their personal and professional relationships.

Dr. Thiederman shows that companies pay a big price for allowing bias to flourish in our workplaces, from litigation and costly turnover to diminished profits and lowered standards. She shifts the dialogue from blame and finger pointing to the responsibility we all share in successfully ridding the workplace of discrimination, inequity, and tension. One frequnetly unrecognized aspect of bias she brings to light is what she calls "Guerilla Bias" (nice actions that are really biased but remain hidden from the target as well as perpetrator), and she also rejects the current brand of political correctness.Finally, she lays out an effective way to recognize and then combat our own personal biases by giving a 7-step process to follow which she calls a "Vision Renewal Process". Very informative, with real life examples of bias that a reader might find familiar but never have recognized before.