Two intergroup relations specialists present comments from African-Americans, Latinos, disabled workers, gays, and others that help businesspeople better understand each group. By "listening" to these comments and applying the authors' advice, readers will discover how to improve communication, morale, and productivity in a diverse workplace.

"The ideal of a harmonious and diverse workplace has been given much lip service, but the daily realities of working with people who are not like you have proven to be difficult.

Featuring ""voices"" (actual comments from members of diverse groups), this book reveals how individuals feel about their treatment and their relationships on the job. By listening to the ""voices,"" readers will learn to understand what it means to be ""the other"" and so improve communication, morale, and productivity.

The range covered is extraordinary: African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latinos, recent immigrants, disabled workers, gays and lesbians, young and old workers, women, white males. For each group, the book provides:

(1) background on the culture and values of that group

(2) honest comments from members of the group and a synthesis of the group's most common problems

(3) typical scenarios where supervisors and co-workers from diverse groups often hit communication barriers

(4) explanations of what went wrong in each situation and how to correct it

Many people want to communicate with others, but don't know how. Voices will help them understand diversity not as an academic concept, but as a human reality."

I was required to read a book on diversity. This one filled the bill but it was a very dry, boring read about things I already knew.

I was wondering about the status of my order. I actually received the book today. The book is in excellent condition. The written desription matches the quality of the product precisely.

As interested in diversity management as I am, I find much of the written material a bit dry and academic. Perhaps writers compensate for the strong feelings that this work brings up by trying to create some sense of distance. In any case, there is a real lack of simple, down to earth texts that are both effective and easy to assimilate. "Voices of Diversity" is the exception to all of this. As the subtitle indicates, the material in the book is based on the content of interviews and discussions with many individuals, and the vitality of their expression permeates the entire work.

The book starts out with some generic introductory material and then starts to go through the interview findings in a straightforward, group by group fashion. There are seperate chapters on African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latinos, recent immigrants, workers with disabilities, younger and older workers, gays and lesbians, women, and white men. Two groups that were left out, which I feel should have been included are Jewish and Arab-American which are often, mistakenly lumped together with white male. Nor is much attention paid to religious or socio-economic diversity.

The chapters themselves start out with general discussion. They then go on to introduce the statements made by interviewees and discuss the stories behind them. Then several scenarios of workplace situations are introduced. After each scenario sections discuss what went wrong and what might have been done differently. I found this material very useful. Getting some insight into how the affected people felt and what they thought is tremendously useful in getting to the source of the real problem. The material on what should have been done provides good examples of simple, considerate and respectful behavior which could be the basis for finding common ground and resolving issues.

The book dates from 1994, but is still quite timely in 2001. Renee Blank and Sandra Slipp have a crisp, clear writing style that makes for easy reading. Not only is the book good reference material, but it would be a fine teaching tool for a discussion group. I would recommend "Voices of Diversity" for everyone's diversity reading list.

I am reading this book for a leadership program and have found a jewel. I am thoroughly enjoying the real-life examples of discrimination experienced by the various demographic groups. The book is written in layman's language, and without being blunt, its examples and how-to instructions are clear to the reader. I strongly suggest this to managers or staff members willing to learn more about diversity and how it fits into the workplace.