Talking About Differences
Do people feel that it is easier or harder to talk about differences than it was 10 years ago?
Research & Insights
“Progress belongs to the Askers; the smarter the question, the lesser the guessing.”― Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel
Asking smart and tough questions until we get answers― that work is what we do. We know that diversity, inclusion, leadership, unconscious bias, cognitive differences, multiple intelligences, emotional intelligence, and other such human dynamics are complex and constantly changing. We apply the Nextions Next Question–Next Connection–Next Action model to design interdisciplinary studies to break down the complexities so that we can help you think smarter and lead better in your workplace.
See our latest research below or search for specific topics.
Books & Book Chapters
Research Studies, Articles & Essays
A Lesson In Inclusion: The Difference Between Honor and Excuses
If diversity of backgrounds and perspectives gives us the ability to get inspiration and ideas from cultures and traditions different from our own, what, if any, is our responsibility to recognize and honor the sources for our inspiration and ideas?
Obesity Bias: The Bias We Don’t Want to Talk About
In 2011, St. Mary Medical Center of Northwest Indiana advertised its weight-loss and bariatric surgery services through a series of billboards that boldly stated: Obesity is a disease. Not a decision. The hospital expected to spark a debate on obesity, but it was not prepared for the outrage and anger that the billboards provoked.
Uncomfortable Truths: Dialogues on Current Events in the Workplace
In a Washington Post online piece in August, a columnist wrote: “You can understand if President Obama would rather talk about the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq, where he has scored some victories, than talk about the unholy mess in Ferguson, Mo.”
Manterruptions, Bropropriation and Mansplaining: Gender Bias and the Pervasive Interruption of Women
Women have been talking for decades about the realities of consistently being interrupted by men when they speak in the workplace; however, the focus on men interrupting women at work has recently intensified to a point where new vocabulary is deliberately sarcastic, not to disrespect or demean, but to highlight the frustration that the interruptive behavior continues to engender.
Diversity & Inclusion: How and Why Does it Matter?
With no reason to change, change remains an empty word. Late last year, I was making a presentation at a leadership conference about the most recent research on diversity and inclusion when one of the conference attendees raised his hand and asked me to just tell him “how to get this done.” In a frustrated tone, he told me that he didn’t want to hear about research or case studies, he just wanted a quick summary of how he could make his organization more diverse and inclusive.
Creative Maladjustment in a Changing World
Cultural Diversity, Diversity, Implicit Bias, Inclusion, Leadership, Neurobehavior, Racial/Ethnic Diversity
As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King, the world often turns to the iconic and inspiring words of Dr. Kinds “I Have A Dream” speech. Yes, this historical speech delivered to hundreds of thousands of people at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, was a game-changing call to action for a nation in crisis. For me, the lesser-known speech that he delivered to a small crowd at Western Michigan University just a few months later on December 16, 1963, holds the words that most profoundly impact how leaders need to think and lead today.
One Season, Many Traditions: How Others Celebrate the Holidays
Is history the same thing as tradition? Is tradition always derived from history? These questions, while somewhat philosophical in nature, raise important questions about how we gather, connect and celebrate holidays in today’s workplaces.
Name-Calling: Confrontation Fails to Bring Dialogue and Resolution
There is no doubt that adjectives are seen by many as having merely supporting roles in language constructions where nouns are the lead players. However, when it comes to active inclusion, changing particular nouns into adjectives can allow for a change in the way that those nouns, as nouns, just cannot do. This is especially true when we deal with the -ists in our vocabulary when discussing differences.
Reset the Dialogue: Generational Differences
I’ve done my own share of researching, writing and speaking on this topic over the past few years, and I’ve watched and listened in frustration as the dialogue on this topic has slowly devolved into a diatribe against Gen Y. If we want productive workplaces, we need to stop the diatribe and reset the dialogue.
Written in Black and White: Exploring Confirmation Bias in Racialized Perceptions of Writing Skills
Given our finding in a previous study that supervising lawyers are more likely than not to perceive African American lawyers as having subpar writing skills in comparison to their Caucasian counterparts, we asked if confirmation bias unconsciously causes supervising lawyers to more negatively evaluate legal writing by an African American lawyer.
Relationship Value vs. Relationship Yield: Gender Difference in Business Development Behaviors & Outcomes
Among similarly situated women and men in professional service firms, are there specific differences in business development behaviors that result in differences in business development outcomes?
