The Truth About Our Differences
Cultural Anthropologists Thomas Kochman and Jean Mavrelis have worked as diversity consultants since the inception of the field with Kochman’s first book in 1981, Black and White Styles in Conflict. Their research is rooted in the social sciences, specifically anthropology and sociolinguistics, studying people’s patterns of behavior, values, and principles. The husband-and-wife team develop cultural modules identifying gender and racial differences in an approach they’ve called Corporate Tribalism—also the title of their most recent book. Kochman’s expertise is in cultural differences and the impact on interpersonal communication and organizational culture. Mavrelis’s area of study is on gender and culture. The pairs’ diversity consulting company, Kochman Mavrelis Associates Inc., works with nonprofits, government agencies, and top 500 companies including AT&T, Boeing, McDonald’s, and Motorola, to address social and cultural diversity in ways that value and respect differences.
