DIVERSITY

1
DIVERSITY

• Todays focus is on team processes and the
  role of diversity in work teams
• Objectives are to develop understanding of
• How to work more effectively in teams
• Understand the advantages and obstacles that
  diversity can bring to teams
• How to create a team context that exploits the
  advantages of diversity

2
IMPROVING TEAM PROCESS INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

• Establish shared goals and consensus on means to
  achieve them
• Equal power, influence, and participation
• Mutual respect, support, and encouragement
• Active listening and clear communication
• Elicit feedback
• Resolve conflict

3
IMPROVING TEAM PROCESSDECISION MAKING SKILLS

• Clear objectives and performance criteria
• Development of ideas and alternatives
• Brainstorming, nominal group technique
• Critical evaluation of ideas and alternatives
• Selection of best ideas and alternatives
• Flexibility and adaptability

4
WHEN IS DIVERSITY MOST USEFUL?

• For innovative, non-routine, complex tasks
• Initial formation defining task objectives and
  analysis of alternative performance strategies
• Reorientation period refining performance
  strategies and analyzing pitfalls in
  implementation procedures
• When it is managed effectively

5
ADVANTAGES OBSTACLES

• Increases creativity
• - Wider range of perspectives - Less
  groupthink
• Prompts efforts to
• understand others
• - Values and ideas
• Creativity can lead to
• - Better problem definition
• - More alternatives
• - Better solutions
• - Better decisions
• Groups can become more
• - effective, efficient,
• innovative, productive

• Leads to low cohesion, mistrust, stereotyping
• Promotes more within-group conversations,
  miscommunications
• Slows down group dynamics - Translation
  problems
• - Less accuracy
• - Disagreement on content
• - Counterproductive behavior
• Low cohesion leads to inability to
• - Validate ideas
• - Gain consensus on decisions
• - Take concerted action
• Groups can become less
• - efficient, effective, productive

6
MANAGING DIVERSITY EFFECTIVELY

• Impact of task innovation versus routine
• Recognize both similarities differences
• Audit members abilities and assign roles tasks
  accordingly
• Focus on superordinate group goals
• Foster mutual respect, equal power, and
  participation
• Choose appropriate conflict-resolution tactics
• Use external feedback

7
IMPROVING TEAM PROCESSTAKE HOME POINTS

• Effective team process requires
• Interpersonal decision making skills
• Appropriate norms performance strategies
• Recognize when diversity is advantageous
• Understand how to overcome the obstacles that
  diversity can bring
• Understand how to manage diversity effectively

8
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

• How do the task performance strategies of Orpheus
  differ from those of Mehta? What are the
  advantages and disadvantages of each model?
• What role does diversity play in Orpheus and
  Mehta?
• How can diversity be managed effectively by group
  members?