Experts have a clear understanding of the potential advantages that diversity brings to teams and organizations.
APM acknowledges that diverse teams generally outperform homogeneous ones. This correlation is increasingly evident in the performance and financial outcomes of organizations.
Does this align with your personal experience?
In a previous section, you explored exceptional and high-performing teams. Based on your own observations, do you see a connection between diversity and performance? Do teams with greater diversity produce superior work? Additionally, what challenges arise when working in highly diverse teams?
We are genuinely interested in hearing about your experiences and thoughts regarding these questions in the discussion section.
Working with diverse team might abit challenging due to different cultural experiences and patterns of work. It might take a long time before they would be able to understand themselves and agree on a particular solution to a problem, it will initially slow down the work progress but once they were able to come together as a team the outcome of the project would be unique and excellent.
Really, the more diverse a team is in terms of social and cognitive heterogeneity, the more it bring diverse ideas and solutions to a problem. Homogeneity kills creativity and gets everyone thinking alike and in same direction.
Ordinarily I have observed that more disruptive idea come out by putting previously unyoked individuals together.
However it is understood that previously strange new team members come with their own challenges like hitting it right away in terms of communication, emotions,culture, inclusivity, etc. Hence it is the responsibility of the Project Manager to create the enabling environment through properly thought-through Charter to break the ‘storm’.
Once this is achieved, from experience the new team is assailable going forward.
In my experience, there is indeed a strong relationship between diversity and performance in teams. Diverse teams tend to outperform homogeneous teams in various aspects, such as problem-solving, creativity, innovation, and decision-making. Diversity brings together individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives, skills, and experiences, which can lead to a broader range of ideas and approaches to tackling challenges. This diversity of thought can result in more effective solutions and better outcomes for the team and the organization as a whole.
However, while diverse teams have many advantages, they also come with their own set of challenges. Some of the common challenges of working in highly diverse teams include communication barriers, cultural differences, conflicting viewpoints, and potential misunderstandings. It can sometimes be challenging to navigate these differences and ensure that everyone feels heard, valued, and included in the team’s decision-making processes. Building trust, fostering open communication, promoting inclusivity, and embracing a culture of respect and understanding are essential for overcoming these challenges and harnessing the full potential of diversity in teams.
Working in a diverse team can be a little bit difficult. But in the long run you get to learn from different perspectives and experience of others
The more diverse the team is, the more productivity.
In my experience working with diverse team is challenging . The period of storming takes longer and is likely to reoccur. However the beauty in diversity is that it brings out the best from the members of the team. As a result of the different perspectives it commands, diversity triggers healthy competition and fosters respect. Most highly performing team are diverse. Homogenous are just average.
A diverse team allows for an array of opinions and good ideas. in my field, i work with engineers, architects, surveyors and planners. These professionals have different areas of expertise and field of knowledge and have helped immensely in the completion of several projects. We all have one thing in common, “the built environment” as such grounds form homogeneity.
Teams with greater diversity tend to bring a wider range of perspectives, experiences, and skill sets to the table. This diversity fosters creativity, innovation, and more robust problem-solving approaches, ultimately leading to superior work outcomes.
Additionally, diverse teams often possess a richer understanding of diverse customer bases, enabling organizations to better cater to a wide range of demographics and markets. This can result in increased market share, improved customer satisfaction, and ultimately, better financial performance.
major challenges I have seen working with team with greater diversity are
1. due to conflicting viewpoints or competing priorities there are struggles in Decision-making processes
2. Differences in language proficiency, communication styles, and cultural norms can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations, hindering effective communication within the team.
In my experience in the field, I believe homogeneous team tends to perform better than the diverse team. Reasons being that the skill and capacity of team members can be ascertain before the start of any task
A team with high diversity and low social cohesion tends to bring diverse expertise and know-how to a project; however, communication barriers could also hold the effectiveness of the team in check, especially in ‘complicated’ situations.