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

A giraffe and an elephant consider themselves friends. But when the giraffe invites the elephant into his home, disaster strikes. The house has been designed to meet the needs of the tall, slender giraffe. The elephant smashes into doorways and walls trying to maneuver. The giraffe gently suggests aerobics and ballet classes. The elephant is unconvinced. To him, the house is the problem...
R. Roosevelt Thomas, one of America's most respected experts on diversity, uses the metaphor of giraffes and elephants - insiders and outsiders - to examine our assumptions about power, influence, affirmative action, and acceptance of "the others." His richly accessible guide will have you thinking about these critical issues in a whole new way. And it will show you how to develop the quantifiable set of skills that are the essence of diversity management.~

"R. ROOSEVELT THOMAS, Jr., Ph.D. (Atlanta, GA) one of America's most respected authorities on diversity issues, is CEO of R. Thomas Consulting & Training, Inc. and founder of the American Institute for Managing Diversity. He is the author of Beyond Race and Gender (AMACOM 0-8144-7807-7) and Redefining Diversity (AMACOM 0-8144-0228-3).

MARJORIE I. WOODRUFF is Director of Curriculum Development at R. Thomas Consulting & Training, Inc."