Leveraging Diversity At Work

'Leveraging Diversity' is designed to help business leaders and diversity practitioners alike conquer the complexity and take advantage of the opportunities associated with working productively with diversity.

“In plain English, Martin Davidson explains how diversity can make a company more efficient and innovative, which leads to greater profits.” —Reginald Hudlin, producer/director and former President, Black Entertainment Television, Inc. A conversation with a CFO he worked with led Martin 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 DifferenceTM 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. “This extensively researched book moves the diversity paradigm from the human resource cubicle to the whole organization, the tactical to the strategic, the short term to the sustainable, and the domestic to the global.” —Dr. Austin Ifedirah, Founder & Managing Partner, Engagent Health

This book provides practical guidance for managers, leaders, diversity officers, educators, and students to achieve the benefits of diversity by focusing on creating meaningful, inclusive interactions. Implementing inclusive interaction practices, along with accountability practices, enhances performance outcomes for the organization and improves equity for members of historically underrepresented and marginalized groups. The book highlights the need to challenge existing approaches that have overemphasized representational—that is, numerical—diversity. For many decades, the focus has been on this important first step of increasing the numbers of underrepresented groups. However, moving beyond representation toward a truly inclusive organizational culture that produces real performance and equity has been elusive. This book moves the focus from achieving numerical diversity to achieving frequent, high-quality, equitable, and productive interactions that enable individuals to leverage their distinctive talents and provides the steps to do so. The benefits of this approach occur at the individual, workgroup, and organizational levels. Real-life examples of good inclusive practices are provided from across the for-profit, nonprofit, and governmental sectors and in various organizational contexts. The book is ideal not only for those charged with diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in organizations but also for organizational leaders and managers who can create and/or support the implementing of inclusive organizational practices and also for postgraduate and undergraduate students studying human resource management, organizational behavior, management, or diversity, equity, and inclusion.

What makes a truly exceptional leader? Discover the practical, fail-proof tools that will help you to fine-tune your leadership skills, solidify respect among your workforce, and ensure your company’s lasting success. When Martin G. Moore was asked to rescue a leading energy corporation from ever-increasing debt and a lack of executive accountability, he faced an uphill battle. Not only had he never before stepped into the role of CEO; he also had no experience in the rapidly evolving energy sector. Relying on the practical leadership principles he had honed throughout his thirty-three-year career, he overhauled the company’s culture, redefined its leadership capability, and increased earnings by a compound annual growth rate of 125 percent. In No Bullsh!t Leadership, Moore outlines these proven leadership principles in a clear, direct way. He sweeps away the mystical fog surrounding leadership today and lays out the essential steps for success. Moore combines this tangible advice with honest, real-world examples from his own career to provide a no-nonsense look at the skills a true leader possesses. Moore’s principles for no bullshit leadership focus on: Creating value by focusing only on the things that matter most Facing conflict, adversity, and ambiguity with decisiveness and confidence Setting uncompromising standards for behavior and performance Selecting and developing great people Making those people accountable, and empowering them to do their best Setting simple, value-driven goals and communicating them relentlessly Though the steps aren’t easy, they are guaranteed, if implemented, to lift your leadership–and your organization–to a higher level. Wherever you are in your career, No Bullsh!t Leadership will help you develop the skills and form the habits needed to become a no bullshit leader.

Beyond recruitment and hiring, many businesses fall short when it comes to retention and motivation of the diverse workforce they worked so hard to employ. From minority employees, the missing piece is often a strong sense of self and an appreciation for who they are and what they offer.Leveraging Diversity at Work goes beyond calling for diversity to give business leaders the knowledge and tools they need to profit from our differences. Minority workers will also find real-world inspiration for contributing to their company's vision, mission and success.

Forward-thinking organizations are embracing diversity and inclusion (D&I), and using it as a competitive edge in a world marked by increasing globalization and demographic shifts. For training and development professionals, understanding D&I and enhancing their expertise in the field demonstrates knowledge of changing business dynamics. This Infoline will: • increase awareness of diversity and inclusion • develop understanding of key demographic changes that affect the organization you support • serve as a guide to incorporate and sustain D&I practices in your company • help employees realize their full potential and develop their skills • provide guidelines for integrating D&I into your curriculum design.

The guide to getting hired, being promoted, and thriving professionally for the 40 million people of color in the workplace—from the CEO and cofounder of Jopwell, the leading career advancement platform for Black, Latinx, and Native American students and professionals. Let Them See You is a collection of Braswell’s straight-talking advice and mentorship for diverse careerists, from college students to mid-level professionals. It’s also an invitation for diversity champions to listen in on the guidance and perspective Braswell provides, particularly for young diverse workers—the population that will make up the majority of the US workforce by 2030. In Let Them See You, Braswell briefly chronicles how the majority-culture workplace evolved and why it’s a business imperative to have a more diverse workforce, and then explains how you can: · overcome not-so-invisible obstacles · create perceived value · get recognition · be true to yourself at work · build a personal brand · harness fear of failure · embrace uncomfortable conversations, and · drive diversity and inclusion, whether you’re entry-level or in management In essence, Braswell delivers all the context, tactics, and language you need to let them see you.

"This book highlights innovative research, theoretical frameworks, and perspectives that are currently being used to guide the practice of leveraging diversity in multiple organizational settings"--Provided by publisher.