The Trump administration made it a Day 1 priority to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within corporations across the country and beyond, but many businesses are finding other ways to continue or expand these initiatives. The Harvard Business Review reports that despite the current political environment “companies across industries are still looking for ways to build healthy, inclusive workplace cultures where everyone can do their best work.” And many companies aren’t about to abandon recruitment and retention policies that are especially appealing to Gen Z. Here are several standout Indie business books that provide ways to improve and implement DEI programs for the long haul.
In the starred The J.E.D.I. Leader’s Playbook, author Omar L. Harris offers a primer on the whys and hows of maintaining a robust DEI plan. The author notes that inclusion efforts exploded after George Floyd’s murder, but they often stalled or proved ineffective. A successful DEI policy is really about rectifying injustices, says Harris, but it’s also demonstrably good for business. “The author’s writing is clear and accessible, both impassioned and pragmatic, and the text as a whole is well organized,” notes our critic, whose review calls the work “a timely guide inspired by justice and rooted in practical action.”
Marilyn Waite’s Sustainability at Work provides an informed take on how to install environmentally sustainable practices across industries and at all levels. “This new edition features new chapters on climate-related careers (involving supply chain, end users, stakeholder relations, and future sustainability) and another on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, and how they intersect with climate change and other issues,” notes our reviewer. Waite’s goal here is to meet “the needs of all generations, present and future, while improving their well-being through social, economic, environmental, and intergenerational efforts.” Overall, our reviewer considers the book “an impressively detailed and knowledgeable primer.”
Hidden Talent by David DeLong looks to solve a looming employment crisis. DeLong quotes the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which forecasts an alarming shortage of workers by 2030. Add Trump’s war on immigrants, and that shortfall could undermine the U.S. economy. Enter several pools of potential employees that have long gone underutilized. Our reviewer says, “DeLong offers anecdotes drawn from his long experience advocating on behalf of marginalized workers and lays out practical advice for recruiting, hiring, and retaining members of three major categories of such employees: the formerly incarcerated, people with disabilities, and refugees. Tapping into this talent pool, the author stresses, takes ‘courage, patience, finesse, and flexibility.’” In a starred review, our critic calls the work a “forceful and thought-provoking call to diversify the workforce with marginalized groups.”
In Leading Diversity for Competitive Advantage, a comprehensive manual to using DEI initiatives to advance business, Peter Linkow explains how best to execute DEI strategies, a practice that begins with committed, informed management. The author directs his ideas toward “boards of directors; the C-suite; strategic business unit and function leaders; top diversity, human resources, human capital, and talent leaders; and those emerging leaders who wish to leave a diversity legacy engraved in the stories of their lives.” Our reviewer calls the book a “sweeping and urgent guide to corporate DEI advancements.”
Chaya Schechner is the president of Kirkus Indie.
