O r g i n s / H i s t o r y The Harvard Business Review published an article in its September-October 1996 issue called "Making Differences Matter: A new Paradigm for Managing Diversity." For the purpose of this "instructional" platform, it's issues and conclusions are believed to carry That article's research and field common theme across all social and societal environments and situations, It was authored by David A. Thomas (The then president of Morehouse College and Professor Emeritus at Harvard Business School, and former dean of Georgetown's McDonough School of Business) and Robin J. Ely (The then Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the faculty chair of the HBS Gender Initiative). The Thomas and Ely findings were based on a three-part research effort that began in 1990. They surveyed failures of diversity initiatives and their essentially flawed (and intellectually lazy) "counting heads" efforts of promoting diversity by simply employing different and traditionally underrepresented "identity groups" and making a very simplified and convenient set of assumptions about "assimilation." Their analysis centered on the simple perspective that "Diversity should be understood as the varied perspectives and approaches to work that members of different diversity groups bring." Their seminal point was: "[Members of non-dominant cultures] bring different, important, organizational efficiencies, and business competitively relevant knowledge and perspectives about how to actually do work - how to design processes, reach goals, frame tasks, create effective teams, communicate ideas, and lead. When allowed to, members of these groups can help companies grow and improve by challenging basic assumptions about an organization’s functions, strategies, operations, practices, and procedures. " Essentially, the social, societal, and business competitive advantages of potential and likely dominant culture "group think" comes from being exposed to and accepting of people that look and think differently. They went beyond "Fairness" doctrines and evangelized that the true benefit of diversity is using a "cultural learning and effectiveness paradigm." Essential the leverage of productivity and competitive advantages, come from true acceptance and collaboration. All people have to do is become openminded and evolve to the realities of living in "smaller world" where walls, fears, and lazy thinking will not support a free and open society. The authors describe "The Emerging Paradigm: Connecting Diversity to Work Perspectives", with key points (summarized) of the leadership and people recommendations include: The embodiment of different perspectives and approaches that truly value variety of opinion and insight ; That there are opportunities and challenges where there are different perspectives; where there is openness; and where all participants feel valued.