Challenges and opportunities regarding diversity within teams work

Revision as of 00:17, 9 May 2023

Abstract

A diverse team is a group of individuals with i.e., different backgrounds, cultures, races, ages, genders, and experiences that work together to achieve a common goal ^[1]. In today's fast-paced, globalized world, diverse teams have become very common in both schools and workplaces. Diversity within teams can bring both obstacles and opportunities. A diverse team can lead to a wider range of perspectives and ideas, increased creativity, and improved problem-solving. However, diversity can also lead to misunderstandings, communication barriers and conflicts if not managed properly ^[2] . Management of a diverse team is important, as it involves leading individuals with varying backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. A good manager recognizes and appreciates the diverse talents, strengths, and experiences of team members and leverages them to achieve common goals. It is also important for managers to be aware of cultural differences and actively work to eliminate biases and discrimination ^[3]. This article focuses on what diversity and diverse teams are as well as how to manage those teams to achieve successful outcomes.

Types of diversity

Human diversity refers to the wide range of differences and variations that exist among human beings. These differences can be of many types, social-differences, differences in skills and knowledge, personality differences, differences in beliefs or values and differences related to work and community status, to cite several. These differences between various individuals within the team, do indeed have both direct and indirect effect on the teamwork and can play a critical role when it comes to decision making and problem solving. ^[1]

Social difference

Social diversity refers to differences in socioeconomic status, i.e. education level, and lifestyle. These factors can greatly influence an individual's experiences and perspectives, shaping their views and attitudes towards various aspects of life ^[4].

Differences in skills and knowledge

Differences in skills and knowledge can arise from a variety of factors, e.g. work experience, and personal interests. These differences can lead to varied perspectives and approaches to problem-solving and decision-making ^[4] .

Personality differences

Every individual has a unique personality that shapes their thoughts, behaviors and feelings. Personality differences can include variations in temperament, emotional reactivity, and communication style ^[4] .

Differences in beliefs or values

Differences in beliefs and values can refer to a variety of factors, such as religion, cultural background, and personal philosophies. These differences can shape persons worldview and influence their actions and behaviors ^[4] .

Differences related to work and community status

Differences related to work and community status can include variations in job position, income level, and community involvement. These factors can greatly impact an individual's experiences and perspectives, shaping their views on topics such as leadership, teamwork, and community engagement ^[4] .

Benefits

--The benefits and advantages of diverse team. -- Working in a diverse team can have many benefits that can improve productivity, creativity, and innovation. In a team of individuals with different backgrounds, each member has different perspectives and ideas. This can lead to a more innovative and creative approach to problem-solving and can result in new and exciting projects that may not have been possible with a homogenous team. Furthermore, diverse teams often show better motivation and members tend to become more ambitious to perform even better. Diverse teams often also raise/higher the quality of each individual, meaning one team member helps to improve other team members which may indeed allow the team members to be more productive in the future. A divers team also allows for a healthy competition within the group which can be used to motivate group members ^[5] .

Creativity and innovation

Diverse teams are often more creative than a homogenous teams and Innovative. That can be attributed to the different thoughts each team member has and their different perspectives, allowing for a wider range of ideas to be created. Diverse group of people are also more likely to think unconventionally and challenge assumptions, which again can lead to good ideas and innovative projects and/or solutions. Innovation and creativity have become critical components of success, in today's business world and working in a diverse teams can help promote these components ^[6].

(https://www.cipd.org/uk/about/news/managing-multicultural-teams/)

Problem-solving

Problem – solving is another skill that diverse teams often have. Diverse teams are more likely to consider all aspects and alternative, which leads to more thought out and creative approaches, making those teams more likely to find a successful solution. Having multiple voices with different perspectives, and personalities interacting with one another can engender out-of-the-box thinking, which can be particularly beneficial when tackling different problems. Overall, teamwork can lead to better decisions, products, or services. The effectiveness of teamwork depends on the different components of collaboration among team members.These components could be communication, coordination, balance of member contributions, mutual support, effort, and cohesion. If a diverse team has members who contribute to these components, then problem-solving should become better. REf( https://www.hult.edu/blog/benefits-challenges-cultural-diversity-workplace/ )

Minimizes discrimination and prejudice

Being with people that are in any way different from you, can broader one’s vison perspectives, enhancing understanding and reducing discrimination and prejudice. When individuals interact and work with people that have different backgrounds they often learn to respect and value the diversity that leads to behaviours which helps to create more equal and a better atmosphere Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

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Some references that I will use : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/2158244019900173

https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1472811721000276?token=EA537F5D61C0115A5C474FD715F41A220FEBA61B6B9758B82265CB32810E609A70CA6C80C9E3BC0B3051A954AC6A217E&originRegion=eu-west-1&originCreation=20230212144832