About the Author

Dr. Martin N. Davidson is Associate Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at the Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia, and also recently completed a three-year appointment as Associate Dean and Chief Diversity Officer for the School. In his research, teaching, and consulting, Martin focuses on how leaders can use diversity strategically to create sustainable competitive advantages for their firms, both globally and domestically. His research on the impact of culture and ethnicity on career development and on conflict management is featured in top managerial and academic publications, including Harvard Business Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Research on Negotiation in Organizations, and the International Journal of Conflict Management. His work also appears in cutting-edge books such as Diversity Resistance in Organizations: Manifestations and Solutions and Exploring Positive Relationships at Work. He has conducted research on four continents identifying the critical competencies for managing effectively across national boundaries.

He consults with a host of Fortune 100 firms, as well as government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. He also teaches leadership in Darden’s MBA and Executive Leadership programs. Martin was elected chair of the Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division of the Academy of Management for 2006–2007. He has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, and Minnesota Public Radio. His contributions to WashingtonPost.com’s “On Leadership” series have been featured in print as well as online.

Before Martin joined the Darden faculty in 1998, he was a member of the Leadership faculty of the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. He earned his PhD at Stanford University and his AB at Harvard University. He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, where his extended family still resides. Martin enjoys playing his upright bass and spending time with his wife, Rachel Bagby, on their solar-powered farm in Virginia. For more information about Martin N. Davidson and his research, and to view his weekly blog, “In My Opinion,” visit www.leveragingdifference.com.