Cambridge Business Association
The Diversity Code
Book

The Diversity Code

Unlock the Secrets to Making Differences Work in the Real World

Michelle T. Johnson
AMACOM, 2010
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Editorial Rating

7

Recommendation

Author Michelle T. Johnson promises not to “sugarcoat diversity,” and she delivers. Johnson – shocking, funny, smart and insightful – has worked as a diversity consultant and employment attorney, and has reflected on her own life and career. She spares no one from her sharp observations, and that’s one of her book’s primary strengths. According to Johnson, you can be in the minority at your workplace and still be part of the problem; you can be in the majority and still exhibit diversity; and you can be a boss who helps or a boss who hinders. Although each of the book’s chapters ends with brief summaries and exercises to help you enact its principles, the text does not offer an easy fix or formula. Johnson leads the reader through the many ways that diversity rubs up against the workplace. She moves from instructive examples to legal implications to hypothetical situations. You might have difficulty translating the book’s ideas into a plan of action, and you might find some of its themes repetitive, but you will be challenged. getAbstract recommends this book, in Johnson’s words, to “leaders as well as regular working stiffs.”

Summary

The Appearance of Diversity

Diversity, with its myriad workplace issues, can feel like a “big encrypted code.” Although related to laws that steer you and your company away from discriminatory action, diversity exists in its own domain. “Many attempt...to act like differences don’t exist. After all, if you don’t notice differences, you can never be accused of treating people differently.” Though based on simple concepts, diversity can be difficult in practice. Trying to understand people and to empathize with them is more art than science.

Workplaces can appear diverse “when the numbers look good” but still not function in a way that allows diversity to flourish. You have to craft an environment that helps employees see other people’s “differences, distinctions and dividing lines with a soft gaze but with clear vision.” Quick judgments help no one in the quest for diversity. Thoughtfully considering what you think about people does help. In fact, it’s paramount. When most people reflect on diversity and what they hope to accomplish in the workplace, they develop a mental picture, a “norm,” and then proceed from there. But norms can be dangerous because they can come...

About the Author

Michelle T. Johnson writes the “Diversity Diva” newspaper column for the Kansas City Star.

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