Praise for The Inclusion Dividend
and Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan
Diversity, like corporate social responsibility, is one of those buzz concepts that managers love to promote, despite not knowing how it fits into a companys strategic vision.... Its 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.
Publishers Weekly
An insightful read. The Inclusion Dividend sheds light on core concepts for understanding diversity and inclusion dynamics and provides strategies for organizations to realize inclusions full impact on the bottom line.
Edith Hunt, Chief Diversity Officer, Goldman Sachs
Kaplan and Donovan help remove the veil of mystery that shrouds inclusion. It provides a much-needed narrative for organizations to rethink and reposition their journey toward ingraining sustainable diversity and closing the intent-impact inclusion chasmthe end goal being the holy grail of pure meritocracy for all.
Nia Joynson-Romanzina, Head Global Diversity & Inclusion, Swiss Reinsurance Company
The Inclusion Dividend is the diversity and inclusion conversation of tomorrow we should be having with our business leaders today. This is a book to be shared with the entire organization.
Kate Vernon, Director of Strategy & Communications, Community Business
The Inclusion Dividend is a journey that takes us beyond the fatigued word diversity . Looking at the importance of inclusiveness, higher levels of engagement, and understanding our biases is crucial to talent management overall. Kaplan and Donovan continue to provide a refreshing view on lessons learned from some of the best in the global business world.
Nancy J. Di Dia, CEO and president of Di Dia Diversity Consulting Group, LLC and Chief Diversity Officer, Fortune 500 company
Kaplan and Donovan make a crucial point that is sometimes missed in our enthusiasm to just buy diverse talent, only to see it walk out the door a short time later: Only one company can be the highest paying in the industry. Money is not a long-term employee retention value. Creating a corporate culture where employees feel valued and part of a team is a longer term retention strategy. Business leaders will benefit by heeding this advice and adopting the tools and strategies which Kaplan and Donovan effectively lay out in this book.
Lisa Stewart, founder of LoF Group, LLC
As future historians look to identify the impetus for global cultural change in the early 21st century, they will count this book among the factors for that change. The Inclusion Dividend provides takeaways and key points that are factual, informative, and stimulating. The stories and examples challenge us to translate diversity and inclusion into action.... a critical read for anyone seeking to affect positive change in a diverse and inclusive global society.
Carolyn Jones, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Fortune 500 company
Finally, a book that ties all critical aspects of diversity and inclusion together in a way that is both theoretical and practical. The reader is provided relevant research, easy-to understand conceptional frameworks, real leadership stories, and thought-provoking exercises. This is a must-read for any leader who wants to drive business results in todays global market.
Amber Mayes, D&I executive, president of Amber Mayes Consulting
First published by Bibliomotion, Inc.
33 Manchester Road
Brookline, MA 02446
Tel: 617-934-2427
www.bibliomotion.com
Copyright 2013 by Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kaplan, Mark, Human resources consultant.
The inclusion dividend : why investing in diversity & inclusion pays off / by Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-937134-40-2 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-937134-41-9 (ebook)
ISBN 978-1-937134-42-6 (enhanced ebook)
1. Diversity in the workplace. 2. ManagementCross-cultural studies.
3. Corporate culture. 4. Multiculturalism. I. Donovan, Mason. II. Title.
HF5549.5.M5K37 2013
658.3008dc23
2013002661
Foreword
Diversity is a business imperative in todays global and increasingly complex environment and the evidence is made clear in Kaplan and Donovans The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Off , a highly engaging discussion of making sound investments in diverse human capital to reap dividends from clients and customers and to become strong partners to our communities.
Through their work with The Dagoba Group, a leading diversity partner to organizations, Mason Donovan and Mark Kaplan take the reader on a compelling journey spanning the history of diversity through creating a strategic plan. The chapters build upon one another, using a case study approach, and enable the reader to become further grounded in variables supporting the business case, including, among other aspects, the impact of unconscious bias on building an inclusive workplace that values a culture of meritocracy.
The Inclusion Dividend is an important read for the 21st century leader who seeks to create and implement policies and practices supporting sustainable change.
Ana Duarte McCarthy
Chief Diversity Officer, Citi
March 2013
Acknowledgments
Our approach to the work of diversity and inclusion has been shaped by many mentors and colleagues, a number of whom were pioneers in this field. At the top of that list is Elsie Cross, a woman whose approach invited us to look deep inside ourselves to understand the complex and emotional issues of discrimination, oppression, and change. She invited many onto a life-changing path. Elsie and her peers were a generation of change agents who literally created a field of work in corporate America. Work in Elsies organization connected dozens of highly skilled professionals, and we are grateful for their leadership. While not able to name everyone, we must acknowledge Delyte Frost, Shirley Fletcher, Denise Matteucci, Curt Waller, Toni Dunton-Butler, and Barbara Riley as exceptional leaders and teachers. Everything that we have written in this book is a blend of their influence, client interactions, and our own life experiences.
We thank Bill Paige for helping us understand via Thomas Jefferson, the need to hold paradoxical notions. We have been pushed, shaped, prodded, and loved by many colleagues, particularly Carolyn Jones, Celia Young, Angela Park, and Amber Mayes. Every colleague and client has been been part of the learning journey.
Our families created an environment of unconditional love where we were given the freedom to be ourselves, and we were taught, often implicitly, to support the underdog. Somewhere Mark still has the photo of his Aunt Linda Kaplan Kielek at a human rights rally in the 70s. Incidentally, Masons father still has his first human rights card from a time when fighting for basic equality was not as accepted as it is today. While we didnt quite replicate their social activism, we were inspired to challenge assumptions and become instruments of change.
We want to thank Jill Friedlander for planting the seed for this book a number of years ago. Jill and her business partner Erika Heilman, along with their team at Bibliomotion, have developed a superb, cutting edge professional model for working with authors. They bring a sense of belief and caring, which are two essential factors in being able to write a book.