Overview
"Lawrence Otis Graham is totally original and always deft."—The Washington Post
"A most timely book for managers and employees alike. Proversityaffirms the U.S. motto 'E Pluribus Unum' — Out of Many, One."—Loida Nicolas Lewis Chairman and CEO TLC BeatriceInternational Holdings, Inc.
"Graham's deep understanding of how to make companiesdiversity-friendly can help America replace recurring racial andgender tensions with a positive spirit of inclusion."—Rosabeth Moss Kanter Professor, Harvard Business School, andauthor of World Class: Thriving Locally in the Global Economy
"The human resource management field is searching for a newdirection to take diversity programs. Look no longer. Proversity isa giant leap forward in helping organizations embrace the mostimportant asset of all —people."—Michael R. Losey SPHR,President and CEO Society for Human Resource Management
Proversity oun 1. progressive diversity: the product of bringingtogether individuals who appear different, but who have many commoncharacteristics. 2. a more advanced and progressive form ofdiversity planning. 3. a description of individuals who lookdifferent on the exterior, but are actually quite similar. 4. thecondition of having similar characteristics on a deep level inspite of existing surface characteristics that look different.
Have you ever quickly judged people at face value before reallygetting to know them? Does that make you racist or sexist? Have youever been startled by a biased thought that's passed through yourhead? You are not alone.
Nearly three-fourths of the nation's largest firms havediversity programs. But almost every day, the newspapers unearthshocking new allegations involving bias in the corporate world.Diversity-training seminars are increasingly being derided aswindow-dressing. Hiring and promotion quotas are under growingattack as unfair and counterproductive. When it comes to achievingtrue diversity in the workplace, Corporate America still has a longway to go.
Frequently quoted in The New York Times, The Wall StreetJournal, and USA Today, Lawrence Otis Graham is one of our mostcredible authorities on how bias in the workplace hindersproductivity and what managers can do about it.
Now, in ProversityTM, Graham offers a new approachfor transforming diversity, affirmative action, andmulticulturalism in the workplace from a hindrance into a powerfulcompetitive advantage. "Proversity" is Graham's new term forprogressive diversity. While diversity focuses on what makes usdifferent—be it race, age, gender, ethnicity, sexualorientation, or religion —Proversity does just the opposite:it looks for the things we all have in common.
Written in the form of a business novel, Proversity chroniclesthe education and enlightenment of Percy McGee, an average managerin an average company, as he overcomes his bias and learns to seebeyond people's differences in order to recognize their strengths.As you observe Percy's interactions with various coworkers, you aregiven a revealing glimpse into the subtle (and sometimesnot-so-subtle) ways in which bias works to undermine teamwork andproductivity. Proversity presents characters who embody thedifferent forms of bias, ranging from overt bigotry (Active Bias)to self-deceptive bias (Passive Bias).
By starting to recognize and eliminate his own Passive Bias,Percy McGee learns how to effectively follow the Four Steps toBecoming a Progressive Manager. Throughout the course of the story,Graham explains how to discover and apply the power of "Proversity"to everyday and long-term work situations. Along the way, Grahamintroduces his original, proven progressive management tools andconcepts, including a checklist to help you recognize bias inyourself and others, and A Progressive Manager's 12Commandments.
Proversity is an enlightening, entertaining, thought-provoking,and extremely practical look at one of the most complex managementproblems facing the corporate world today.
This book title, Proversity (Getting Past Face Value and Finding the Soul of People -- A Manager's Journey), ISBN: 9780471178187, by Lawrence Otis Graham, published by Wiley (February 5, 1997) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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