Research on the effects of demographic diversity on organizations has found mixed results. Demographic diversity has been shown to be a negative and positive factor for organizations, groups and individuals. David concludes that the mere fact of diversity guarantees nothing. Rather, it is the context in which diversity is experienced and how it is managed that shapes the outcome of diversity initiatives. By focusing on organizations which have a substantial level of racial and gender diversity, David aims to develop ways to create effective organizations capable of benefiting from a diverse make up.

David frequently conducts action research, executive education and senior management seminars on diversity and its impact on individual and organization effectiveness, as well as authoring numerous publications related to this topic. His past clients have included Putnam, Silicon Graphics, General Electric, Union Trust Bank and the New York City Board of Education.

A central aspect of his work in this area is his six year collaboration with Robin Ely, associate professor at Harvard Business School. Together they are examining the link between cultural diversity and organizational effectiveness in several corporations that have already achieved significant levels of demographic diversity. Their conclusions are chronicled in two papers “Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity” (Harvard Business Review)  and “Paradigms and Pitfalls” (working paper).

David is developing a series of cases to illustrate successful responses to the challenges of managing a demographically diverse workforce. For this series, he is putting out a call to managers and employees from companies of all sizes, both domestic and international, to relay to him instances of effective diversity management. Case leads should be as specific as possible and approximately 500 words. Some questions to consider are: What was particularly unique or effective about your company's management of its diverse workforce? Why do you think these practices were successful? How was this success apparent? Were there any shortcomings or things that could still be improved?

Please e-mail or fax accounts of any relevant experiences to: dthomas@hbs.edu or send to Professor David Thomas, Morgan Hall, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163, fax: (617) 495-6568.

Books

Thomas, D. A., and John J. Gabarro. Breaking Through: The Making of Minority Executives in Corporate America. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press, 1999.

Book Chapters

Thomas, D. A., and Karen Proudford. "Theory for Practice: Making Sense of Race Relations in Organizations." In Cultural Diversity in Organizations, edited by R. Carter. Sage, 2000.

Thomas, D. A. "Beyond the Simple Demography-Power Hypothesis: How Blacks in Power Influence Whites to Mentors Blacks." In Mentoring Dilemmas: Developmental Relationships within Multicultural Organizations, edited by A. Murrell, F. Crosby and R. Ely. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associations, 1999.

Thomas, D. A. "Mentoring and Diversity in Organizations: The Importance of Race and Gender in Work Relationships." In Diversity in the Workplace: Issues and Perspectives, edited by A. Daly. National Association of Social Workers Press, 1999.

Thomas, D., and M. C. Higgins. "Mentoring and the Boundaryless Career: Lessons from the Minority Experience." In Boundaryless Careers: ANew Employment Principle for a New Organizational Era, edited by M. B. Arthur and D. M. Rousseau. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Thomas, D. A. "A Workshop Design for Teaching Diversity." In Teaching Diversity and the Management School Curriculum, edited by B. Ferdmon. American Association of Collegiate Business Schools, 1994.

Thomas, D. A. "Mentoring and Irrationality: The Role of Racial Taboos." In The Psychodynamics of Organizations, edited by L. Hirschorn and C. K. Barnett. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1993.

Thomas, D. A., and Clayton P. Alderfer. "The Influence of Race on Career Dynamics." In Handbook of Career Theory, edited by M. Arthur, D. T. Hall and B. Lawrence. Cambridge University Press, 1989.

Thomas, D. A., and Clayton P. Alderfer. "The Significance of Race and Ethnicity for Understanding Organizational Behavior." In Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 3 vols., edited by C. Cooper. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1988.

Articles

Thomas, David A. "The Truth About Mentoring Minorities: Race Matters." Harvard Business Review 79, no. 4 (April 2001): 98-112. Ely, R. J., and D. A. Thomas. "Cultural Diversity at Work: The Moderating Effects of Work Group Perspectives on Diversity." Administrative Science Quarterly 46 (2001): 229-273.

Thomas, D. A., and Suzy Wetlaufer. "A Question of Color: A Debate on Race in the U.S. Workplace." Harvard Business Review 75, no. 5 (September-October 1997): 118-132.

Thomas, D. A., and Robin Ely. "Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity." Harvard Business Review 74, no. 5 (September-October 1996): 79-90.

Thomas, D. A. "Doing Diversity: Effectively Managing Identity Group Difference in Organization." Business Ethics Forum 7 (1994): 23-32.

Thomas, D. A. "The Dynamics of Managing Racial Diversity in Developmental Relationships." Administrative Science Quarterly 38, no. 2 (1993): 169-194.

Thomas, D. A., and D. Evans. "Debate: A Response to the Business of Equal Opportunity by Reginald Dickerson." Harvard Business Review 70, no. 2 (1992).

Thomas, D. A. "The Impact of Race on Managers' Experiences of Developmental Relationships." Journal of Organizational Behavior 2, no. 4 (1990): 479-492.

HBS Cases

Leaving. (HBS Case 400-033).

Millennium Media, Inc. and John Voorenberg. (HBS Case 400-032).

Star Distributors Inc. (A) (HBS Case 493-015).

Star Distributors Inc. (B) (HBS Case 493-016).

Star Distributors Inc. TN.  (HBS Teaching Note 496-004).

Sumiko Ito. (HBS Case 493-011).

Sumiko Ito TN. (HBS Teaching Note 498-064).

Yvette Hyater-Adams and Terry Larsen at CoreStates Financial Corp. (HBS Case 401-023).