The Power of Difference is named the Management Book of the Year

Today (Wednesday 22nd March 2023), The Power of Difference: Where the Complexities of Diversity and Inclusion Meet Practical Solutions by Simon Fanshawe (published by Kogan Page) is announced as the winner of the Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) Management Book of the Year Award.

The overarching theme for the competition was ‘different perspectives’; the judges were seeking a book that offered original and valuable insights into how management and leadership acknowledges the barriers that remain to create fair, inclusive workplaces.

The Power of Difference explains why it's our differences and how we combine them that creates true diversity and generates innovation, fresh thinking and ultimately, success. With clarity and wit, this book brings together the author's own experiences with the latest research to explain why inclusion is more than just being nice to people, why unconscious bias training isn't the fix we need and why listening to all individual voices, not just assuming that one viewpoint represents a group, is key.

Speaking about the award win, Simon Fanshawe said: "I am incredibly honoured to receive this recognition - The award will be a huge boost to bringing the themes in the book to an even wider audience. My book draws on stories, practical examples and research to show how we can see, value and combine our differences to the benefit of organizations and the time we spend at work.”

Denise Skinners, consultant and one of the judges, commented: “[Simon] addresses the complex issues relating to D&I that create very real challenges for organisations and managers. He offers plausible reasons to explain why the best intentions don’t translate into practice, with suggestions about how to change that. As someone who has spent decades thinking about diversity and inclusion, I nevertheless found that this book offered useful new insights, different perspectives on issues and helpful reminders.”