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

by Sondra Thiederman (Author) "Karen Johnson and I were best friends in junior high school..." (more)
Key Phrases: gateway event, common kinship groups, making diversity work, Guerilla Bias, Making Diversity Work, Vision Renewal Process (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Making Diversity Work offers fresh and fascinating ideas for reducing bias--one person at a time. "Bias lies in every heart and mind--it is also where the answers lie," writes diversity expert Sondra Thiederman. By focusing on the individual, rather than the organization, she defines a powerful focus for bias busting in the workplace. Racial and sexual bias costs big bucks warns Thiederman, citing litigation, lowered sales, and loss of employees and customers. Using case studies, politically incorrect questions, and insightful strategies, she guides readers through "the discomfort of self discovery."

After detailing how biases are learned, Thiederman introduces seven steps to prevent bias from blocking and distorting your work relationships. The book's centerpiece is a brilliant discussion of how to manage "gateway events,"(for example, hearing an inappropriate comment or being treated with a biased behavior) and start a conversation about sticky diversity issues. This brave and groundbreaking analysis should define the direction of diversity training for decades to come. --Barbara Mackoff

From Publishers Weekly
Thiederman, a speaker on workplace diversity and author of Profiting in America's Multicultural Marketplace, offers practical ways everyone can be more aware of their biases, stereotypes and negative attitudes. It's essential, according to the author, that everyone, from low-level employee to business owner and executive, be more mindful of diversity in order to communicate more effectively, manage others and be more successful at work. Biases hurt everyone because they hinder decision making, hiring and keeping workers. "One of the really creepy things about biases is that they can easily become self-fulfilling prophecies. If a manager believes that an employee has a certain characteristic, darn if she doesn't find a way to make that characteristic come true." The author offers concrete steps to combat biases, including dissecting those biases and "putting them through triage." Thiederman uses her own experiences as well as those of others who give firsthand accounts. The writing is clear, and her approach is textbook-like with chapter summaries and sidebars emphasizing key points. In the end, this is a levelheaded examination of this important topic, which is already covered in many other books.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Business (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793177634
• ISBN-13: 978-0793177639
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #360,982 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars weLEAD Book Review by the Editor of leadingtoday.org, February 16, 2004

By	Greg L. Thomas (Litchfield, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important book tells how to beat your bias, October 10, 2003

By A Customer

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended for Any Dialogue About Diversity, November 20, 2003

By	John Mueller (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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.