The Inclusion Dividend
Why Investing in Diversity and Inclusion Pays Off
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- $24.99
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- $24.99
Publisher Description
In today’s increasingly diverse, global, interconnected business world, diversity and inclusion (D&I) is no longer just “the right thing to do,” it is a core leadership competency and central to the success of business. Working effectively across differences such as gender, culture, generational, race, and sexual orientation not only leads to a more productive, innovative corporate culture, but also to a better engagement with customers and clients. The Inclusion Dividend provides a framework to tap the bottom line impact that results from an inclusive culture. Most leaders have the intent to be inclusive, however translating that intent into a truly inclusive outcome with employees, customers, and other stakeholders requires a focused change effort. The authors explain that challenge and provide straightforward advice on how to achieve the kind of meritocracy that will result in a tangible dividend and move companies ahead of their competition.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Diversity, like corporate social responsibility, is one of those buzz concepts that managers love to promote, despite not knowing how it fits into a company's strategic vision. Here, consultants Kaplan and Donovan (DRIVEN: A Field Manager's Guide to Sales Team Optimization) provide a textbook approach to the "diversity and inclusion" (D&I) topic, down to key takeaways and discussion exercises. The book opens by making the business case for inclusion, moves onto the psychological underpinning of bias and its effects on business, and finishes with two practical chapters on "change strategies." Real world examples, like the fact that Facebook only recently added a female executive to its board or H&M's misguided use of "all blond mannequins in its Thirty-Fourth Street store and all brunettes in its Harlem store," enrich the argument. Less convincing are fictionalized anecdotes and examples Kim, a typical senior manager, or Sarah, a generalized first female engineer with a civil engineering firm. Similarly, the discussion exercises feel contrived and are too brief to expose the complexity of the issues. Despite these quibbles, it's rare to find a business book that so soundly hits the zeitgeist while also capably applying the best social sciences research to an important topic.
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