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Workplace Books in Review
by Todd Luchik
Diversity Beyond the Numbers: Business Vitality, Ethics & Identity in the 21st Century
Gary Adkins
GDI, 2003
Perhaps the biggest challenge in business is to get people of varying backgrounds and beliefs to work together in pursuit of a common goal. In many respects, contemporary American businesses have come a long way in this regard. The average workplace is far less homogenous than it was 40 years ago. Nevertheless, contemporary society remains remarkably polarized, and victimization, both real and perceived, is alive and well in American workplaces. For example, despite companies spending billions of dollars per year on diversity consultants and initiatives, discrimination cases are on the rise. In fact, discrimination claims rose by a whopping 90 percent between 1992 and 2002. This persistent cycle of conflict and victimization represents a crisis in the diversity field. Gary Adkins' Diversity Beyond the Numbers: Business Vitality, Ethics & Identity in the 21st Century addresses the crisis, arguing that diversity practice needs to change in response to an increasingly complex world.
The diversity field has in fact evolved significantly over the last 38 years. Traditionally companies pursued diversity initiatives for two reasons: 1) to meet the requirements of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission; and 2) because many enlightened organizations simply felt it was the right thing to do. In the last few years organizations have begun to realize that a diverse workforce could potentially enhance business performance. This realization has inspired an increased emphasis and spending on diversity initiatives and consulting, but thus far the results have been elusive. In fact, Thomas A. Kochan, a human resources scholar at MIT's Sloan School of Management, recently issued a blistering critique of the diversity field. He conducted a five-year study which examined organizations reputed to have effectively promoted and managed diverse workforces. The study concluded that there was little evidence that diversity initiatives enhanced business performance.
Kochan's results would probably come as no surprise to Adkins. He argues that the diversity awareness and diversity management approaches, so prevalent since the '70s and '80s are incapable of dealing with today's complex world of post-industrialism and globalization. Diversity Beyond the Numbers envisions a new methodology which synthesizes some of the most current critical theory in the human and physical sciences. Adkins aims to move diversity beyond the aforementioned categorization-reliant, affirmative-action-based approaches that so often split organizations into separate camps of victims and oppressors. Instead, he emphasizes education as a way to demystify racial, religious, cultural, gender and sexual-preference categories.
The book may not be for everybody. It draws heavily on terms and concepts that, while commonplace in the world of liberal arts academia, may be alien to many small business owners and human resources professionals. Nevertheless, Diversity Beyond the Numbers is an oftentimes fascinating read. The introduction provides a thorough history of diversity practices. Chapter eight gives a detailed history of how several racial, ethnic, gender and sexual preference categories have been viewed throughout time, contextualizing and demystifying long-held belief systems. It is a humanizing work that recognizes the complex nature of identity -- how it fluctuates and resists pat categorization.
Perhaps the book's biggest strength lies in the way it challenges diversity practitioners to branch out beyond their narrow confines and assume a role in shaping the workplace as a whole. Adkins tackles such global issues as open and honest communications, learning and development, and creating an engaging work environment. In other words, he presents a vision of diversity practice that deals with organizations in their entirety. The goal: To create an ethical and engaging safe space where innovation and ideas can blossom. This is a powerful and welcome endeavor and one that couldn't be timelier.
Published in Winning Workplaces Newsletter, November 2003
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