Building a House for Diversity: A Fable About a Giraffe & an Elephant Offers New Strategies for Today's Workforce

by R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr.

"What could an elephant and a giraffe teach people about working together? Some very important lessons, it seems, about the complex--and critically important--issues of dealing with diversity in the workforce.



Building a House for Diversity begins with a short fable about how a friendship between the two animals is threatened when the house built for a tall, skinny giraffe cannot accommodate his invited guest, a broad, bulky elephant. Using this story as a vivid metaphor for the difficult issues inherent in diversity, the book goes on to demonstrate how managing diversity can be seen as a set of skills that anyone can learn and use.



In a way that makes diversity management ""up close and personal,"" Building a House for Diversity offers compelling, real-life stories of individual experiences at work. It includes:



* The perspective of both ""insiders"" (usually white males) and ""outsiders"" (usually minorities or women)

* Insightful commentary illuminating what these experiences tell us about the challenges and opportunities of diversity

* A particularly interesting segment on Phil Jackson, legendary Chicago Bulls coach, and how he dealt with diversity issues in his relationships to Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippin, and others

* Hands-on guidance to help readers become ""diversity mature"" and take personal responsibility for their attitudes and actions.



Throughout, the book reflects the seminal thinking of R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., a pioneer in articulating the concepts of managing diversity. In this book, he has produced his most creative and practical approach to this continuing challenge."

Genres: Business, Leadership

266 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1999

Reviews

[The Crimson Fucker · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know those books that are so fucking good that they hurt??? Well this book ain’t like that… this book is so fucking creepy that it hurts… thank god is only a few pages long, I had to force my self to reading it… those pictures are the damn creepiest thing I’ve ever seen on my life! Seriously y’all I as fucking shaking while reading it! Anybody who gives this disturbing piece of senseless crap to a child should go to jail for child abuse! Damn!

[Dimitri Bianco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have done quite a bit of reading about diversity and this book by far has been the best. The book focuses on defining diversity as differences across many areas beyond race and gender. Differences in behavioral responses, personality, and seniority are just a few. It talks about defining requirements and only hiring those that meet the core requirements while avoiding preferences due to corporate culture and personal preferences. Overall this is a really good read about diversity and how to create better work and home environments.

[Al Soto · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Excellent book that I had the opportunity to read in my Global Leadership class. If you are in Human Resource Management or you are a leader that is having to navigate any type of diversity in your organization this book will be very helpful."

[Rev. Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a re-read of a book that I found invaluable in my Employee Relations work. With the diverse demographics of our campus student population, I decided to work my way back through my diversity and cultural awareness collection.

[Truppidavies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Work read...

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

12/2/2010 - Ugh. Some good case studies but the analysis of them seemed long-winded and not too helpful.