Can You Afford to Ignore Me?: How to Manage Gender and Cultural Differences at Work

Can You Afford to Ignore Me? tackles one of the most critical aspects of doing business in the 21st century: managing gender and cultural differences in the workplace. Written specifically to help managers and senior executives leverage the proven benefits of a more gender-balanced, culturally diverse workforce and leadership pipeline, the book combines the real-world experiences of international business consultant Elisabet Rodriguez Dennehy with scientific research in physiology, economics, organizational behavior, business leadership and other fields.

The book provides a solid understanding of strategic issues related to female and multicultural talent at work, and includes experiential insights, tips and exercises to give managers a clear sense of direction for implementing change. Throughout, it also emphasizes the many bottom-line benefits of taking steps to more effectively develop and promote women and people from other cultures: attracting and retaining top talent, increasing the productivity of internal teams, achieving balanced strategic decision-making, and more.

Can You Afford to Ignore Me? is written directly from Elisabet’s experience. Rodriguez & Associates, her strategic consulting firm, specializes in customized leadership development programs for women and related services to help organizations manage and develop female talent. As lead faculty at the Duquesne University Women’s Executive Leadership Program, she has had a central role in developing highly effective executive leadership programs for GSK, Westinghouse, and other global companies in the U.S. Clients in the European Union include UniCredit, Microsoft, the British Chamber of Commerce, and many others. She has also conducted Coaching and Mentoring programs for many companies, including Deloitte, PPG, Dow, Motorola, PWC and Caterpillar, through the University of Pittsburgh leadership program in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Elisabet Rodriguez Dennehy is founder and president of Rodriguez & Associates, a strategic consulting firm that specializes in customized leadership development programs for women and related consulting services to help organizations manage and develop female talent. She is also lead faculty at the Duquesne University Women's Executive Leadership Program, and conducts seminars for multinational corporations through the University of Pittsburgh leadership program in Sao Paolo, Brazil and Prague.