Pushkala Prasad.

Pushkala Prasad, Albert J Mills, Michael Elme and Anshuman Prasad, ed Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1997 395 pp $2795 paper.

Research in succession workplace diversity is characterized by way of a curious contradiction. On common hand, the field has expanded an impressive lexicon of cliches that aim at capturing the challenges associated with managing diversity. forward the other hand, on the research van the struggle to nail down the involved dialectics of workplace diversity continues. The editors of Managing the Organizational Melting jug aim at steering away from a minefield of diversity-related cliches while invoking a pantheon of theoretical perspectives that could illuminate what is yet to be research.

The convolution is organized around two themes. The first draws forward a wide array of radical postmodernist perspectives to critique existing approaches to diversity management in organizations. In the section devot to this theme, Oseen and Marsden the one and the other draw on Marxist and Foucauldian theory to reexamine organizational processe (Oseen) as well as human resource practices (Marsden) that perpetuate fabrics of dominance and subordination in organizations. In a similar vein, based onward postmodernist feminist theory, Jacques argues that the "common intellect of day to day thinking functions to reinforce dominance and marginality" in organizations (p 81) Cavanaugh and P Prasad draw forward institutional theory (Cavanaugh) and Weber's notion of the Protestant ethic (P Prasad) to have the intention that the discourse on diversity is contingent forward the sociocultural context in which it is based. the pair P. Prasad and Cavanaugh insinuate that the dominance of white males in organizations is radicaled in North American cultural traditions that valu e aggressiveness and self-reliance, resulting in the marginalization of demographic assemblages (i.e., women and people of color) that may not display these characteristics.

The other set of chapters in this convolution examines specific organizational practices that have serv to procreate a culture of white male dominance and highlights the experiences of social assemblages in subordinate positions in organizations. The contributors in this section use historical analysis as well as case studious mood methodology. For instance, Maier unfolds a case study of the 1986 Challenger disaster to illustrate to what extent the masculine corporate culture silenced diverse and dissenting opinions at the National Aeronautical and Space Agency (NASA) and contributed to the failure of the Challenger space shuttle launch in 1986 Mills uses historical analysis to trace the growth of corporate imagery that equates the feminine with the erotic in the British airline industry.

This section also highlights the experiences of demographic clumps that are targets of discrimination in organizations. Based onward interviews, Mighty draws on the experiences of immigrant women of color to illustrate the mingled multidimensional nature of diversity in organizations. according to acknowledging the "triple jeopardy of discrimination" (p 312) faced by dint of this group, Mighty offers complex suggestions for organizational policy making. An interesting contribution to this bulk is by Wong-MingJi and Mir. The authors remind readers of the essentially international flavor of diversity in organizations today. At the same time, the authors argue that the decidedly West-centered (read United States) research in the area of international management limits an appreciation of the magnitude of cultural diversity in the workplace.

I approached this work with enthusiasm, looking forward to sociopolitical insights that might inform a critical analysis of workplace diversity management programs. I was not altogether disappointed. The editors must be eulogizeed for bringing together an array of scholars who use unique perspectives, ranging from Marxism to postcolonial theory, to reexamine the dialogue forward diversity in North America. I was daunted, however, according to the often obscure language, causeed in postmodernist jargon. The tinge of intellectual elitism that colors this tome may keep it out of the reach of managers in succession the front line of managing diversity. Further, while the introductory and concluding chapters aim at tying in the wide range of issues guarded in this volume, short introductions to intermediate sections in this work could have served as a guide to readers trying to absorb the perspectives tendered by the contributors. Overall Managing the Organizational Melting tankard is a handy reference for the researcher aiming at incorporating sociopolitical insights into research forward diversity.

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