OtherWise
The Wisdom You Need to Succeed in a Diverse and Divisive World
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
In this deep and engaging exploration of diversity in America, author Dick Martin explains how we can bridge personal differences to experience great professional success. OtherWise goes far beyond census data into the realm of cognitive and social science, helping readers break through stereotypes and fears to gain a profound understanding of people unlike themselves. This is not touchy-feely stuff, but rather crucial information for businesspeople everywhere whose success depends on embracing the diverse and sometimes divisive realities of their workforce, suppliers, and customers. Readers will discover what America's changing demography means for business, how unconscious biases shape behaviors and beliefs, how to connect across cultures, borders, and perspectives, and how to move beyond tolerating differences to capitalizing on them. Even as the US grows increasingly diverse, most professionals have little real knowledge of those with different backgrounds, opinions, and beliefs. Multiethnic marketing materials are mostly a token gesture, and within companies that have diverse teams, that breadth can sometimes feel more like a challenge than an asset. OtherWise strips away the barriers of “us” and “them” and lays bare profound truths for relating to and working with one another.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Reading more like a compilation of thematically linked essays than a cohesive book, Martin (Tough Calls) presents his take on contemporary "Otherness": what it is, its boundaries and structure, where it manifests itself, and whom it affects. Though many chapters might appear to have little to do with the "other" ("people we consider so different from ourselves that we have trouble seeing beyond those differences to what we have in common"), the theme remains in demonstrations of why we need both a more global and interconnected worldview. But his purpose is not to propose solutions. Instead, he writes with a concern for "understanding the issue, its importance, and its implications." Though the book might at first appear to be business-focused, the chapters dealing with the topic's foundational issues are of universal appeal. And with most chapters no longer than five to seven pages, the book's lack of a developmental thread actually works to its advantage, allowing the reader to pick up and turn to almost any chapter at random without any loss of comprehension or purpose. Martin's research, writing style, and breadth of subject succeed in revealing unconscious patterns and prejudices we may have, that we might be aware of "how even subtle appeals to group identity can influence our judgment and behavior."
