Ep 196. Martin Davidson: The End of Diversity as We Know It

“Abandon the often burdensome notion of diversity efforts and embrace a new concept: leveraging difference.”

Martin Davidson

Martin Davidson is the Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and he currently serves as their senior associate dean and global chief diversity officer. He holds degrees from both Harvard and Stanford and was on the faculty at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth prior to arriving at Darden in 1998. His book, The End of Diversity as We Know It: Why Diversity Efforts Fail and How Leveraging Difference Can Succeed, introduces a research-driven roadmap to help leaders more effectively create and capitalize on diversity in organizations

In this episode, Stew and Martin discuss the reasons the diversity and inclusion efforts often fail. Martin reviews ways that leaders can create diverse and inclusive organizations that work by, among other things, embracing the weird. He describes a proven, practical model for seeing real sources of difference, understanding them, and engaging in experimentation to create positive change that benefits collective interests. It can be done! And, as two bass players, they talk about how the purposes served by that musical instrument are analogous to those pursued by people striving to create meaningful dialogue and growth in organizations.

Here then is an invitation, a challenge, for you, once you’ve listened to the conversation. Ask yourself this question: What’s the most critical fissure in the social life of your work team or organization; what, in other words, really divides members in ways that subvert your collective goals? And what would you need to do to better understand the implications of that source of disconnection? Share your ideas and any reactions to this episode by writing to Stew at friedman@wharton.upenn.edu or via LinkedIn.

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