Challenges and opportunities regarding diversity within teams work
Contents |
Abstract
A diverse team is a group of people with different backgrounds, cultures, races, ages, genders and experiences that work together to achieve a common goal. In today's fast-paced, globalized world, diverse teams have become very common in both schools and work places. Diversity within teams can bring both obstacles and opportunities, a diverse teams 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. 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.
Diverse teams bring together individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and cultures, which can lead to a range of perspectives and ideas. The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide, 7th Edition (2021)
Types of diversity
- About different 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. ref(https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2005.00022.x?casa_token=qiXUEAO_nPIAAAAA%3A77IXwF62pgU5VFPWF6eW7mm2XyX56bgBE-cmFbnMJsl6NTVD1S2u9EEHZIry56F8RPzRaaAfDdyu&)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Creativity and innovation
Problem-solving
Discrimination and prejudice
Job satisfaction
Challenges
-The conflicts and challenges that diversity can bring-
Communication barriers
Cultural clashes
Application and management
- How to effectually manage diversity within a team and how to create a diverse team - Managing diversity in teams has become an important aspect of modern project management. With teams increasingly made up of people with different backgrounds, cultures and perspectives. It can be crucial to have strategies in place to ensure that everyone can work together effectively.
Strategies for Managing Diversity in Teams
- Setting clear expectations and goals
It can be a good strategy, to create a team charter that outlines the team's goals, roles, and responsibilities. This can help guarantee that everyone on the team is working towards the same objectives and has a clear understanding and awareness of their individual contributions ref: (Project Management: A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide), 7th Edition (2021))
- Encouraging open communication and feedback
Good communication is always important when working in teams (ref: The Standard for Portfolio Management, 4th Edition (2018)) When managing a diverse team, open communication and feedback is even more important and can be crucial. When team members feel heard, appreciated and respected they are more likely to be productive, engaged and dedicated to achieve a goal. Providing constructive criticism on each other team members work and behavior through giving and receiving feedback is another essential aspect of open communication. Encouraging open communication and feedback can build trust, encourage collaboration and help break down communication barriers that are common when working with people with different backgrounds. To manage this effectively it can be helpful. To promote this it can be good to i.e. - Regularly have team meetings with brainstorming sessions, where everyone can share their thoughts in a respective and nice environment. It is also good to encourage active listening by asking team members to summarize what they have heard and to ask questions to clarify their understanding, so that everyone understands and are on the same page. Finally it is important that the feedback is specific, actionable and respectful, whether from a manager or other group members. (need to put in ref)
- Emphasizing the value of different perspectives
Emphasizing the value of different perspectives is another very important factor when it comes to manage diversity. It is important to encourage people to share their experiences and perspective on a project, because a diverse team can have very different opinions and ideas on how they want things, this can be an advantage if managed right. By creating a respectful culture and nonjudgmental environment it can help members to feel valued when they share their ideas.
- Providing training and education on diversity and inclusion
To ensure that everyone is on the same level it is important to provide training and education on topics regarding respect, value, communication etc. Training and education can take many forms, for example workshops and/or lectures. This could be done both online or in person. The focus should be on providing a safe and inclusive environment by going over topics regarding diversity i.e cultural sensitivity and unconscious bias. This can help team members to learn and feel more comfortable in their work.
- Celebrating differences and promoting cultural awareness
It can be a good idea for managers to plan events to celebrate differences. That can be done by celebrating various international days related to difference . Another Idea would be that team members have a short presentation about themselves where they talk about their background, interests, family situations, etc.This can help people feel more understandable and comfortable together as well as understanding ethother better. The PMBOK® Guide identifies Interactive Communication as one type of communication method. Using Interactive communication when dealing witch conflict can be very effective. --- Klára
- Addressing conflicts and misunderstandings promptly and respectfully.
As mentioned, working in a diverse team can sometimes lead to conflicts and disagreements. When Situations like that come up it is important to
- Building a culture of inclusivity
Practical Applications
- Hiring diverse team members
- Providing accommodations and support for diverse team members
- Promoting teamwork and collaboration among team members
- Creating a safe and welcoming work environment
- Encouraging and supporting professional growth and development
Challenges
Best Practices for Managing Diversity in Teams
- Engaging in ongoing evaluation and adaptation of diversity management strategies
- Seeking feedback from team members and stakeholders
- Continuously educating and training team members and leadership on diversity and inclusion
- Encouraging diversity in leadership and decision-making roles
Annotated bibliography
References
Some references that I will use : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/2158244019900173
