White Men, Women & Minorities in the Changing Work Force (Paperback)

by Anthony J. Ipsaro (Author) "Women comprise the majority of the United States population and nearly half of the U.S. labor force..." (more)
Key Phrases: male power system, authentic diversity, most white males, United States, African American, Lee Atwater (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
For many years much attention has been focused on the changing roles of women and minorities. Here is one of the first accounts of the status and power of American white men in a diverse and democratic society--their contributions, their failures, their future in the 21st Century. This book takes a wealth of information, organizes, synthesizes and makes it understandable with practical answers to racism and oppression, economic opportunity and success, power and privelege in America.

From the Author
The Denver Post August 31 1997 The painting hanging on Anthony Ipsaro's office wall depicts three early 19th century white guys dressed in buckskins and gathered around a campfire.

At the end of the 20th century, Ipsaro says, white guys might as well be relegated to the wilderness because they are being left out of the greatest transformation of the American workplace in all the nearly 200 years that have passed between the time of that scene and now.

When he describes white men as engaged in their "last stand," Ipsaro is no raving political reactionary trying to stave off an inevitable loss of power.

White and male, he's also a rather mild, dapper, double Ph.D., whose book, "White Men, Women & Minorities in the Changing Work Force," states simply, "White men are the missing link in the corporate plan to successfully diversify the workplace."

Why? Because "the power positions are held by predominantly white males," he said in an interview in his Cherry Creek office. "They're trying to change the workplace without inlcuding the power structure."

So Ipsaro argues for inclusion, inclusion of white men in the change.

White males need to be convinced that changing the complexion and gender of both the workplace and the executive suite will boost the bottom line and themselves personally, he said. Right now, white men are confused and suffering for it.

"Their anxiety comes not because white men think they are the bad guys, but because others are treating them as though they are the bad guys: their partners, their children, women and minority co-workers, and younger men," Ipsaro writes in his book.

Forced out of their traditional role as producer, protector and director of the nation's resources, in Ipsaro's words.

But, he also says men should welcome the new role.

If women and minorities are allowed to assume more power, men will have less responsibility for wielding it, Ipsaro says.

The expanded workforce will include more talent, more new ideas and renewed corporate creativity, helping the bottom line. White men will learn to spend more time - and enjoy more of it - at home, with their families, enriching their lives with relationships, not professional affiliations.

Sounds like a counselor? Ipsaro is one. His first Ph.D., in organizational administration, came from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., and his second, in clinical psychology, comes from the University of Denver where he applied as a 50-year-old, and where he made it clear he wanted to study men's issues just as feminists were studying women's psychology.

His book, which he self published at a cost of about $100,000 so far, is a favorite of Dick McCormick, chairman of US West, said May Snowden, the company's executive director of diversity programs. McCormick has bought several copies and handed the down the corporate ladder to other "leaders," said US West spokesman David Beigie.

And last June, Ipsaro was the primary presenter for Motorola's White Male Cultural Awareness Month, a series of nine sessions at which about 1,800 employees of Motorola's Phoenix-based Semi-conductor Products Sector learned why white men are who they are, what to expect from them, and how it translates to a workplace that is more and more diverse.

Snowden said she sat through a similar session several years ago when Ipsaro held a seminar for US West's women of color.

"It was like new information," she said. "We kind of had forgotten what white men were like, and we left saying, 'Oh, that's why these things happen.'"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 285 pages
• Publisher: Meridian Associates (June 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964572338
• ISBN-13: 978-0964572331
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #937,838 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Diversity Through the Anglo-Saxon Male, June 27, 2006

By	Roy E. Cloudburst (USA) - See all my reviews

Dr. Ipsaro, a double P.h. D. in Psychology and Administration, identifies a new and innovative way to change the productivity of a diverse workforce - including the white male. In a detailed and logical way, Ipsaro illuminates the history and role of white men, women and minorities in society and the work place. Ipsaro argues that many old world behaviors of the white male are still present today in businesses and society- mainly that they are still resource providers, directors and protectors. In essence, this means that they are still the ruling class and behaving by the standards of yester year. According to Ipsaro, the world has changed and most white males have not evolved into the new world. In order for diversity to be actively engaged in business, argues Ipsaro, the white male must become involved and lead the change. For instance, Ipsaro uses the Motorola Company as an example of a company that has empowered women and minorities. As a result, the company has promoted a substantial amount (more than 50 %) of women and minorities into senior leadership and management positions. The innovative change in diversity has positively impacted the morale and production of the company. With inclusion, as evidenced by Motorola, companies will be better served in diversity initiatives, and ultimately more successful businesses. Ipsaro concludes with a call for white males to become the driving force for leveraging diversity programs and incentives in the workplace.

SOME OF THE KEY THEMES OF THE BOOK INCLUDE:

* Inclusion of the white male is essential for positively changing the diversity of the workforce: Ipsaro notes that many white males are in senior management, and although many of these executives have planned and implemented diversity programs, few have included themselves in these programs. Ipsaro notes that old world values are obsolete in the world today, and white males must share leadership with women and minorities. This, in his words, would "relieve some of the burden" white males feel about leading a workforce. According to Ipsaro, this would allow more time for white males to balance personal and professional life and lead to a more diverse and productive work force.

* A fusion between organizational, unit, and self integrity is essential in developing a diverse workforce: Ipsaro notes that "trust is what holds a family, a group, an organization, a country together." Although everyone is different, argues Ipsaro, it is essential to find common bonds that unite a group in the pursuit of a common goal. Ipsaro notes training, group discussions, and an environment that encourages open dialogue as vehicles to increase self, unit, and organizational awareness of diversity in the workplace. Things such as empowering employees, matching talents to tasks, sharing and promoting a blending of cultures are keys to successful fusion in the workplace. This takes time and hard work.

Dr. Ipsaro is an expert is his field with many years of research and advisement on an international and national level in both the private and public sector. His concept that white males fail to include themselves in diversity movements is very relevant in the workplace today. Although White Men, Women and Minorities was published in 1997, it is still a legitimate reading in 2006 - as it touches on the issue of white males as diversity change agents in the workplace