None of Us is As Good As All of Us: How McDonald's Prospers by Embracing Inclusion and Diversity [Hardcover]

Patricia Sowell Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2009

An inside account of how McDonald's turns diversity into success

Everyone knows McDonald's, one of the most recognizable brand names in the world. But few know the extent to which McDonald's continued and ongoing success is due to the company's internal philosophy of inclusion and diversity. One of the biggest employers in the world, McDonald's staff is one of the world's most racially, culturally, and religiously diverse.

In None of Us Is As Good As All of Us, McDonald's Global Chief Diversity Officer, Patricia Sowell Harris, offers the first inside look at the company's philosophy of inclusion and diversity through interviews with more than 60 key employees and leaders. These accounts, of franchisees, suppliers, and employees, reveal how McDonald's embraces all races, creeds, and cultures to create unity and business achievement.

• Written by Patricia Sowell Harris, McDonald's global chief diversity officer
• Serves as a template for any business that wants to embrace wider diversity and use it to prosper
• With a Foreword by Jim Skinner, McDonald's CEO since 2004
• A first look at the inner workings of McDonald's impressive diversity and inclusion philosophy

For any business leader who wants to embrace diversity and encourage team unity, None of Us Is As Good As All of Us offers inspiration and guidance.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

HOW MCDONALD'S TURNS DIVERSITY INTO SUCCESS

McDonald's—with its iconic Golden Arches, unforgettable jingles, and famous french fries—is one of the globe's most recognized brand names. One of the biggest employers in the world, McDonald's staff is among the most racially, culturally, and religiously diverse anywhere. But few people know the extent to which McDonald's continuing growth and success is due to the company's internal philosophy of inclusion and diversity.

In None of Us Is as Good as All of Us, McDonald's Global Chief Diversity Officer, Patricia Sowell Harris, offers the first inside look at the company's philosophy of inclusion and diversity through interviews with more than 60 key employees and leaders. These accounts—of franchisees, suppliers, and employees—reveal how McDonald's embraces all races, creeds, and cultures to create unity and business achievement.

This is the first inside look at how a major corporation manages to translate its commitment to diversity into long-term business success. With a Foreword by Jim Skinner, McDonald's CEO, you'll see the inner workings of one of the world's largest and most diverse workforces.

For business owners, it's a perfect template for encouraging diversity in an organization and turning that diversity into a long-term competitive advantage.

But McDonald's isn't just about diversity for the sake of diversity; it's also about team unity and family. If you want to build an organization and a business culture that unites individuals in a quest for excellent service and long-term success, None of Us Is as Good as All of Us offers all the inspiration and guidance you need.

From the Back Cover

PARISE FOR NONE OF US IS AS GOOD AS ALL OF US

"McDonald's has long been recognized as a leader in inner-city community development and providing opportunities to African-American entrepreneurs. Pat Harris tells the fascinating story behind how they do it, and who some of the surprising heroes are."—Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., founder and President, RainbowPUSH Coalition, Inc.

"The rise of women within the ranks of McDonald's is an inspiring story in itself, but this book also details the lessons learned along the way and how they can be applied to tap women's potential in any organization."—Ilene H. Lang, President and CEO, Catalyst

"Pat Harris has done more than relate the incredible success of Hispanic Americans at McDonald's. She has described the power of inclusion and diversity as a winning strategy for any business that wishes to achieve a competitive advantage."—Dr. Juan Andrade, Jr., President, United States Hispanic Leadership Institute

"Pat Harris's history of the evolution of inclusion and diversity is a valuable blueprint for the next generation in the workplace to follow and a point of pride for all of us associated with McDonald's."—Wai Ling Eng, founding member of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund and McDonald's Owner/Operator

"Here's McDonald's secret sauce revealed for all to see—the power of our people. The desire and discipline to give individuals the opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they're from, is the key to success."—Fred Turner, Honorary Chairman and former McDonald's grillman and CEO

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047049932X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470499320
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #668,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inside look at how McDonald's handles diversity, January 18, 2010

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: None of Us is As Good As All of Us: How McDonald's Prospers by Embracing Inclusion and Diversity (Hardcover)

McDonald's statistics tell the story of its impressive business achievements. The company serves 58 million customers daily at 32,000 restaurants in 118 nations. It employs 1.6 million people, and had 2008 sales of more than $70 billion. That's a lot of "secret sauce." Through its vaunted Hamburger University, which opened in 1956 in an Illinois restaurant basement, McDonald's teaches store managers, owners and operators how to do things "the McDonald's way." Author Patricia Sowell Harris is in charge of diversity at McDonald's. She must be doing a good job, given that Fortune magazine cited McDonalds as the number one company for diversity two years in a row. Though Harris's book is, by nature, promotional, she does a good job of explaining how diversity works at McDonald's, why a diverse workforce is important and why it makes good business sense. getAbstract recommends her lessons on equitable employment to CEOs, as well as to human resource personnel, and training and hiring managers.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Compelling Corporate Story of What It Takes to Achieve True Diversity, November 6, 2009

By 

Andres T. Tapia "diversity futurist and strat... - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: None of Us is As Good As All of Us: How McDonald's Prospers by Embracing Inclusion and Diversity (Hardcover)

While it's trendy and easy to be for diversity, staying in it for the long haul in a disciplined, doggedly determined way is much less glamorous and exceptionally difficult. McDonald's is one of those companies that took the long view to create sustainable diversity at every level of their business: from their customers to their menus, from their franchisees to their employees, from entry level ranks to management to executive leadership.

The people behind the Golden Arches have been responsible for creating hundreds of thousands of entry level jobs for people for every walk of life just getting started in their work lives and thousands of business ownerships including for urban entrepreneurs with very few other lucrative business start-up possibilities within their reach.

Not only can the people at McDonald's speak authoritatively about their diversity strategies and their breakthrough results, but author Pat Harris, McDonald's gracious and dedicated diversity leader for much of McDonald's diversity journey, can speak credibly and personally about the twists and turns, setbacks and breakthroughs the journey took along the way.

I have seen McDonald's diversity story from the distance and up close. The words and deeds of affinity group leaders, managers, and executives in this inspiring corporate diversity story have been consistent whether in public forums, one-on-one conversations, or in the pages of this book. These folks are passionate about diversity not only because it's the right thing to do but because it has also been good for business. When it comes to this book's story, "I'm lovin' it."