Joan C. Williams – författare

An eye-opening, urgent call to mend the broken relationship between college and non-college grads of all races that is driving politics to the far right in the US.Is there a single change that could simultaneously protect democracy, spur progress on climate change, enact sane gun policies, and improve our response to the next pandemic? Yes: changing the class dynamics driving American politics. The far right manipulates class anger to undercut progressive goals and liberals often inadvertently play into their hands. In Outclassed, Joan C. Williams explains how to reverse that process by bridging the “diploma divide”, while maintaining core progressive values. She offers college-educated Americans insights into how their values reflect their lives and their lives reflect their privilege. With illuminating stories —from the Portuguese admiral who led that country’s COVID response to the lawyer who led the ACLU’s gay marriage response (and more)— Williams demonstrates how working-class values reflect working-class lives. Then she explains how the far right connects culturally with the working-class, deftly manipulating racism and masculine anxieties to deflect attention from the ways far-right policies produce the economic conditions disadvantaging the working-class. Whether you are a concerned citizen committed to saving democracy or a politician or social justice warrior in need of messaging advice, Outclassed offers concrete guidance on how liberals can forge a multi-racial cross-class coalition capable of delivering on progressive goals.

Around the world, populist movements are gaining traction among the white working class. Meanwhile, members of the professional elite―journalists, managers, and establishment politicians―are on the outside looking in, left to argue over the reasons. In White Working Class, Joan C. Williams, described as having “something approaching rock star status” by the New York Times, explains why so much of the elite’s analysis of the white working class is misguided, rooted in class cluelessness.

Williams explains that many people have conflated “working class” with “poor”―but the working class is, in fact, the elusive, purportedly disappearing middle class. They often resent the poor and the professionals alike. But they don’t resent the truly rich, nor are they particularly bothered by income inequality. Their dream is not to join the upper middle class, with its different culture, but to stay true to their own values in their own communities―just with more money. While white working-class motivations are often dismissed as racist or xenophobic, Williams shows that they have their own class consciousness.

White Working Class is a blunt, bracing narrative that sketches a nuanced portrait of millions of people who have proven to be a potent political force. For anyone stunned by the rise of populist, nationalist movements, wondering why so many would seemingly vote against their own economic interests, or simply feeling like a stranger in their own country, White Working Class will be a convincing primer on how to connect with a crucial set of workers―and voters.

"I recommend a book by Professor Williams, it is really worth a read, it''s called White Working Class." -- Vice President Joe Biden on Pod Save America

An Amazon Best Business and Leadership book of 2017

Around the world, populist movements are gaining traction among the white working class. Meanwhile, members of the professional elite—journalists, managers, and establishment politicians--are on the outside looking in, left to argue over the reasons. In White Working Class, Joan C. Williams, described as having "something approaching rock star status" by the New York Times, explains why so much of the elite''s analysis of the white working class is misguided, rooted in class cluelessness.

Williams explains that many people have conflated "working class" with "poor"--but the working class is, in fact, the elusive, purportedly disappearing middle class. They often resent the poor and the professionals alike. But they don''t resent the truly rich, nor are they particularly bothered by income inequality. Their dream is not to join the upper middle class, with its different culture, but to stay true to their own values in their own communities--just with more money. While white working-class motivations are often dismissed as racist or xenophobic, Williams shows that they have their own class consciousness.

White Working Class is a blunt, bracing narrative that sketches a nuanced portrait of millions of people who have proven to be a potent political force. For anyone stunned by the rise of populist, nationalist movements, wondering why so many would seemingly vote against their own economic interests, or simply feeling like a stranger in their own country, White Working Class will be a convincing primer on how to connect with a crucial set of workers--and voters.

We''ve combed through the ideas, insights, and best practices from the past year of Harvard Business Review to help you get up to speed fast on the relevant concepts driving business today. Discover new ideas and sample the work from our vast cabinet of experts and their smart management thinking. Revisit these topics now to make sure you''re incorporating the brightest, most up-to-date practices in your organization, or keep it as a reference to access these memorable pieces when you need them most. The collection includes articles on leadership, strategy, and innovation, as well as content to help you manage yourself and others. A year''s worth of management wisdom, all in one place.

What will it take to create a more gender-balanced workplace?

If you read nothing else on leadership and gender at work, read these 10 articles by experts in the field. We''ve combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you understand where gender equality is today--and how far we still have to go.

This book will inspire you to:

This collection of articles includes "Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership," by Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli; "Do Women Lack Ambition?" by Anna Fels; "Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers," by Herminia Ibarra, Robin Ely, and Deborah Kolb; "Women and the Vision Thing," by Herminia Ibarra and Otilia Obodaru; "The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why," by Deborah Tannen; "The Memo Every Woman Keeps in Her Desk," by Kathleen Reardon; "Why Diversity Programs Fail," by Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev; "Now What?" by Joan C. Williams and Suzanne Lebsock; "The Battle for Female Talent in Emerging Markets," by Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Ripa Rashid; "Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success," by Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Carolyn Buck Luce; and "Sheryl Sandberg: The HBR Interview," by Sheryl Sandberg and Adi Ignatius.

In today''s competitive hiring market, you can''t risk excluding or alienating talented employees--regardless of their gender, race, class, or physical ability. Bias can seep into the deepest corners of your workplace and hinder both the success of the people who hold marginalized identities and your organization as a whole. What sort of hiring procedures, employee development programs, and personnel policies can eradicate the biases that cause discrimination? One-day mandatory diversity seminars aren''t enough.

If you read nothing else on achieving diversity, read these 10 articles by experts in the field. We''ve combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you challenge your company''s thinking--and infrastructure--on creating a culture that seeks and celebrates differences.

This book will inspire you to:

Around the world, populist movements are gaining traction among the white working class. Meanwhile, members of the professional elite--journalists, managers, and establishment politicians--are on the outside looking in, left to argue over the reasons. In White Working Class, Joan C. Williams, described as having "something approaching rock star status" by the New York Times, explains why so much of the elite''s analysis of the white working class is misguided, rooted in class cluelessness.

Williams explains that many people have conflated “working class” with “poor”--but the working class is, in fact, the elusive, purportedly disappearing middle class. They often resent the poor and the professionals alike. But they don''t resent the truly rich, nor are they particularly bothered by income inequality. Their dream is not to join the upper middle class, with its different culture, but to stay true to their own values in their own communities--just with more money. While white working-class motivations are often dismissed as racist or xenophobic, Williams shows that they have their own class consciousness.

White Working Class is a blunt, bracing narrative that sketches a nuanced portrait of millions of people who have proven to be a potent political force. For anyone stunned by the rise of populist, nationalist movements, wondering why so many would seemingly vote against their own economic interests, or simply feeling like a stranger in their own country, White Working Class will be a convincing primer on how to connect with a crucial set of workers--and voters.

Get what you really want from your career.

As a woman, you may face unfair challenges in the workplace--from being passed over for promotion to being ignored in conversation. Unconscious bias and negative assumptions are working against you. HBR''s Women at Work Collection will help you break through these barriers and help you get what you want from your career.

This two-book set includes HBR''s 10 Must Reads on Women and Leadership and the HBR Guide for Women at Work. The Must Read volume brings together the 10 best articles from Harvard Business Review, curated by our editors, on gender dynamics in the workplace, while the HBR Guide provides practical and useful tips for how to identify and overcome the factors holding women back.

This unique compilation offers insights from world-class experts including Herminia Ibarra, Joan Williams, Sheryl Sandberg, and others. It will inspire you to: learn the root causes of the barriers that exist for women; better understand the path women must take to leadership; check your own gender biases and distinguish between confidence and competence; manage a more effective gender-diversity program; advocate for yourself; and demonstrate your leadership skills.

HBR''s Women at Work Collection is an invaluable resource for any woman seeking to reach her true leadership potential and for anyone--man or woman--looking to create a more gender-balanced workforce.

2019''s best reads, all in one place.

Get five years of the latest, most significant thinking from the pages of Harvard Business Review in one library set. Every year, HBR editors examine the ideas, insights, and best practices from the past twelve months to select the articles that have provoked the most conversation, the most inspiration, and the most change. From how companies can proactively evolve their business models to stay ahead of the digital revolution to understanding why your strategy execution isn''t working--and how to fix it--the articles in these volumes will help you manage your daily challenges and meet the changing competitive landscape head-on.

Books in the HBR 10 Must Reads series offer essential reading from Harvard Business Review on topics critical to the success of every manager. Each book is packed with advice and inspiration from leading experts such as Clayton Christensen, Michael Porter, Herminia Ibarra, Daniel Goleman, Marcus Buckingham, Roger Martin, Adam Grant, Thomas Davenport, and Patty McCord. Company examples range from Unilever, Deloitte, and DHL to Facebook, Netflix, Google, and Uber. 5 Years of Must Reads: 2019 Edition brings the most current and important business conversations of the past few years to your fingertips.

Five years'' worth of management wisdom, all in one place.

Get the latest, most significant thinking from the pages of Harvard Business Review in 5 Years of Must Reads: 2020 Edition. Every year, HBR editors examine the ideas, insights, and best practices from the past twelve months to select the definitive articles that have provoked the most conversation, the most inspiration, and the most change. From how you can lead with authenticity by moving past your comfort zone, to engaging customers and employees alike with the help of artificial intelligence, to scaling your agile processes from a handful of teams to hundreds, the articles in this five-book collection will help you manage your daily challenges and meet the changing competitive landscape head-on.

Books in the HBR 10 Must Reads series offer essential reading selected from the pages of Harvard Business Review on topics critical to the success of every manager. Each book is packed with advice and inspiration from leading experts such as Clayton Christensen, Michael Porter, W. Chan Kim, Renee Mauborgne, Herminia Ibarra, Marcus Buckingham, Roger Martin, Adam Grant, Thomas Davenport, and Katrina Lake. Company examples range from P&G, DHL, and Deloitte to Alibaba, Google, and Stitch Fix. 5 Years of Must Reads: 2020 Edition brings the most current and important business conversations to your fingertips.