ABSTRACT

Unleashing the Power of Diversity provides a clear tool to create a common language across teams and organisations that reinforces positive identity, builds trust towards people and processes, supports innovation and helps make diversity sustainable.

The complex problems that many organisations and teams now face are global in scope, including cultural, social and environmental issues. Challenges such as climate change, mass migration and human rights do not respect national borders or sociodemographic groups. In order to solve these complex problems, we need the skills to be able to communicate effectively across the differences that may otherwise divide us.

In this ground-breaking book, award-winning consultant and author, Bjørn Z. Ekelund, presents a clear step-by-step approach to communicate with people who have different mindsets, perspectives and cultural backgrounds. It is relevant and applicable across various contexts – within the workplace, inter-professional, across different industries and cultures, and between corporate, governmental and NGO groups.

The programme developed in the book, called the Diversity Icebreaker, has been successfully applied across 70 countries and with 250,000 participants. It shows how to break down these barriers and provides a new way to conceptualise diversity across various boundaries, allowing for trust and unity to form and creating a pathway for improving communication.

chapter 1|10 pages

Introduction

1Diversity Icebreaker’s potential of doing Good

chapter 2|24 pages

Red, Blue and Green and Diversity Icebreaker

The evolution from underlying principles

chapter 3|16 pages

Communication models

chapter 4|14 pages

On the power of reflexivity

chapter 6|15 pages

Ethno-geographical cultural differences

part |2 pages

Introduction to Chapters 7, 8 and 9

chapter 7|12 pages

Promoting Green creativity and innovation

chapter 8|13 pages

Promoting Blue efficiency

chapter 10|16 pages

Dignity and personal development