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Print itBuilding a House for Diversity
A fable about a giraffe and an elephant offers new strategies for today’s workforce.
What could an elephant and a giraffe teach people about working together? Some very important lessons, it seems, about the complex—and critically important—issues of dealing with diversity in the workforce. Building a House for Diversity begins with a short fable about how a friendship between the two animals is threatened when the house built for a tall, skinny giraffe cannot accommodate his invited guest, a broad, bulky elephant. Using this story as a vivid metaphor for the difficult issues inherent in diversity, the book goes on to demonstrate how managing diversity can be seen as a set of skills that anyone can learn and use.
In a way that makes diversity management "up close and personal," Building a House for Diversity offers compelling, real-life stories of individual experiences at work. It includes:
- The perspective of both "insiders" (usually white males) and "outsiders" (usually minorities or women)
- Insightful commentary illuminating what these experiences tell us about the challenges and opportunities of diversity
- A particularly interesting segment on Phil Jackson, legendary Chicago Bulls coach, and how he dealt with diversity issues in his relationships to Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippin, and others
- Hands-on guidance to help readers become "diversity mature" and take personal responsibility for their attitudes and actions.
Throughout, the book reflects the seminal thinking of R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., a pioneer in articulating the concepts of managing diversity. In this book, he has produced his most creative and practical approach to this continuing challenge.
1999 Hardcover | 276 pages
About the Author
R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., Ph.D. (Atlanta, GA) one of America's most respected authorities on diversity issues, is CEO of R. Thomas Consulting & Training, Inc. and founder of the American Institute for Managing Diversity. He is the author of Beyond Race and Gender.
Marjorie I. Woodruff is Director of Curriculum Development at R. Thomas Consulting & Training, Inc.
Book review excerp from DiversityInc.com