Us Plus Them: Tapping the Positive Power of Difference

Description

In Us Plus Them, Todd Pittinsky argues against the assumption that simply reducing prejudice will improve relationships between different groups. The simple rooting out of what we don't want will only fuel the problem. Instead, his research shows that moving from the desire to stamp out prejudice to an approach that builds interest, kinship and engagement will actually open up new possibilities within groups thrown together based on circumstance-whether that's in schools, neighborhoods, companies, or even nations.

Todd L. Pittinsky is an associate professor at SUNY Stony Brook. Prior to that, he was associate professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and research director of Harvard's Center for Public Leadership. Pittinsky's research has been published in leading academic journals and business publications. He is the coauthor of Working Fathers: New Strategies for Balancing Work and Family, the editor of Crossing the Divide: Intergroup Leadership in a World of Difference, and coeditor of Restoring Trust in Organizations and Leaders: Enduring Challenges and Emerging Answers.

"Us Plus Them, Todd Pittinsky's new book from Harvard Business Review Press, arrives at an ideal time" -- 800 CEO READ ADVANCE PRAISE David Gergen, Director, Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School; senior political analyst, CNN; and former presidential adviser -- "In Us Plus Them, Todd Pittinsky has crafted an important work of scholarship on how leaders can address differences in our diverse and multicultural societies. His bold 'what if' questions could change the course of history." Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School professor; author, SuperCorp and Confidence -- "Us Plus Them shifts the diversity paradigm by focusing on the best (not the worst) of human nature, stressing original virtue (not original sin), and urging that differences be acknowledged as appealing opportunities (not ignored because they might otherwise produce conflict). Todd Pittinsky's timely, important, and optimistic book has the potential for transformative impact." Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, University of Southern California; author, Still Surprised: A Memoir of a Life in Leadership -- "Us Plus Them upends the way we look at relationships. No more zero-sum games; no more clever nuancing around human differences. A key challenge of leadership is harvesting the gains that arise from the basic incongruities of our collective humanity. Pittinsky's original perspective is destined to create healthy controversy and healthier organizations." Roderick M. Kramer, William R. Kimball Professor of Organizational Behavior, Stanford Graduate School of Business -- "Far too often, individuals, organizations, and even whole nations find themselves trapped in a costly and sometimes deadly 'us versus them' mind-set. Todd Pittinsky provides a powerful framework for promoting and securing cooperation among the most unlikely of allies. This marvelous new book can change the way leaders think and act--to the benefit of us and them." Juliana Oyegun, Chief Diversity Officer, The World Bank Group -- "Todd Pittinsky throws down a very real challenge to leaders who practice the deficit approach to managing difference. Reading this book has encouraged me to try an entirely new way to generate understanding and mutuality across differences within my organization."