22 Books to Challenges Your Assumptions about Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
Summer reading may be over, but Fall and Winter always provide opportunities to curl up with a good book. Instead of escapism, use your reading time to expand your understanding around diversity and inclusion in the workplace, educate yourself on the current racial climate, and challenge your own notions so you can deepen your understanding and the conversations around you.
Here’s a list to get you started.
American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear
by Khaled A. Beydoun
Through stories, hsitory, and challenges for change, critical race theorist and law professor Khaled A. Beydoun analyzes Islamophobia in America, and the way laws, policies, and rhetoric have shaped anti-Muslim bigotry. Beydoun also outlines how to go about enacting change for Muslim Americans and their allies.
Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Written as a letter to his young son, Ta-Nehisi Coates details what it’s like to be a black man in America today, from the biggest questions around systemic racism and injustice, to everyday concerns and hopes for his son’s future.
Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People
by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
Psychologists Banaji and Greenwald want to challenge your hidden biases around race, gender, age, sexuality, disability, and more. They reveal how exposure to cultural attitudes and social groups shape our judgements, and how to understand our own minds so we can become more aware.
Diverse Teams at Work: Capitalizing on the Power of Diversity
by Lee Gardenswartz and Anita Rowe
Creating, managing, and valuing team diversity is the key to workplace growth, productivity, and innovation. Diverse Teams at Work provides strategies, worksheets, resources, and activities that can help you recognize team strengths and overcome barriers to moving forward together.
Diversity in Organizations
by Myrtle P. Bell
This comprehensive text digs into the research, theories, terms, and laws in the field of diversity in organizations. Discover why diversity in the workplace is important, how to prioritize diversity in your hiring, and how diverse teams can collaborate to push for company change.
No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement
by Joseph P. Shapiro
Journalist Joseph P. Shapiro tells the stories of disabled members of society seeking to debunk the fears and stereotypes around them, all while striving for equality. Learn the history of disability rights and areas of discrimination and ignorance, as well as opportunities for inclusion in the workplace.
Safe Enough to Soar: Accelerating Trust, Inclusion & Collaboration in the Workplace
by Frederick A. Miller and Judith Katz
Employees should feel safe enough in their work environment to speak up and share concerns. Author Frederick A. Miller and Judith Katz show how to create that space of “interaction safety” through a four-level model in order to empower employees to share without fear of penalty.
So You Want to Talk About Race
by Ijeoma Oluo
Author Ijeoma Oluo gives an overview on race and racism in America in this New York Times bestseller, so that we might be able to have those difficult conversations with others — and to be knowledgeable about topics like affirmative action, cultural appropriation, microaggressions, and more.
The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business
by Erin Meyer
Knowing how to do business in a global world while being aware of the way different cultures do business is a leadership requirement today. Business school professor Erin Meyer provides a guide to understanding how different cultures approach business practices like communication, feedback, and scheduling.
The Diversity Training Activity Book: 50 Activities for Promoting Communication and Understanding at Work
by Jonamay Lambert and Selma Myers
Gain insight and inspiration for your next team training with this comprehensive resource that includes ice breakers, roleplaying activities, handouts, questionnaires, case studies, and more. Generate open conversation and understanding with your team to increase awareness and stress the advantages of differences in the workplace.
The End of Diversity As We Know It: Why Diversity Efforts Fail and How Leveraging Difference Can Succeed
by Martin N. Davidson
What difference does having diverse teams really make? Business professor Martin N. Davidson analyzes how too often diversity isn’t incorporated into higher-level strategy, and efforts can often go wrong. But Davidson shows how leveraging differences can become a competitive advantage for businesses willing to embrace it.
The Latino Threat: Constructing Immigrants, Citizens, and the Nation
by Leo R. Chavez
Professor of anthropology Leo R. Chavez seeks to challenge the degrading assumptions and prejudice around “the Latino threat” by providing informative discussions and stories around immigration, the DREAM Act, media portrayal, and other social and political concerns around Latinos in America today.
The Loudest Duck: Moving Beyond Diversity while Embracing Differences to Achieve Success at Work
by Laura A. Liswood
Understanding cultural differences in business is key, and author Laura A. Liswood attempts to get at the root of those differences with stories and anecdotes that shed light on different countries’ learned behavior. Liswood ultimately shows how diversity can enhance creativity and competitive advantage.
The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table
by Minda Harts
Because their unique challenges are often overlooked in career and professional development, Minda Harts wrote The Memo as a career guide for women of color. With advice on networking, office politics, and personal finances, The Memo explains what’s needed to get a seat at the table.
This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism
by Ashton Applewhite
Ageism is an often overlooked problem in the workplace, but author Ashton Applewhite brings it to light in this work that seeks to expose the root of ageism, dispel myths around aging, and to point out where society can promote an age-inclusive world.
Transformational Diversity: Why and How Intercultural Competencies Can Help Organizations to Survive and Thrive
by Fiona Citkin and Lynda Spielman
Written for HR leaders looking for ways to create and implement plans for diversity in their workforce, this book seeks to challenge current diversity and inclusion programs to find new paths to utilize difference in approaching new markets, industry innovation, and global expansion.
Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization
by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright
Tribes exist in every organization, so how can you leverage them to help growth and maximize productivity? The authors give insight into how people interact with one another, how they build cultures within organizations, and how leaders can benefit from those tribes.
Understanding and Managing Diversity: Readings, Cases, and Exercises
by Carol Harvey and M. June Allard
With insight and expertise from business instructors, theorists, diversity trainers, and more, this resource can help you make sense around the complexities of a diverse workplace. Learn about specific diversity challenges and opportunities, as well as the ethics and law around them.
We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation
by Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown
From the curators of the @lgbt_history Instagram account is a history of queer activism, from its roots in the 19th century, through the Stonewall riots, to today’s fight for equality and acceptance. Its narrative is combined with over 300 photographs to make history visual and memorable.
We Can’t Talk about That at Work!: How to Talk about Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics
by Mary-Frances Winters
Conversations around topics deemed “suitable for work” are happening all the time elsewhere — so why not learn how to handle them when they arise? Mary-Frances Winters offers approaches for creating environments for tough yet meaningful conversations that can have a positive impact when done well.
What Works: Gender Equality by Design
by Iris Bohnet
Gender equality is necessary in order for businesses to thrive, yet biases and presumptions are still causing workplaces to lag. Behavioral economist Iris Bohnet offers solutions and interventions on how to identify and get rid of our bias so we can create truly diverse workplaces.
Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White
by Frank H. Wu
Through reporting, legal cases, history, and anecdotes, journalist Frank H. Wu addresses the major conversations around race today, including affirmative action, immigration, and globalization, and seeks to educate about and debunk the damaging stereotypes and assumptions around Asian Americans.
Pick up a copy of the above titles through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, or through your local independent bookstore to get you thinking about diversity and inclusion in your workplace.
