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.
RAIMI ENDURANCE OLUSHEGUN
COHORT 9. TEAM 9.
I recently worked with team of data entry officers in the state secretariat.
We were obviously diverse cause we were selected randomly. Despite our diversity we were able to accomplish the task set before us within a short time due to collaborative effort. We were able to discover new solution method to some of the challenges encountered during work in progress. This helped me to understand well the benefits of working in a diverse team compared to the homogeneous ones that I’ve been in.
Creating and managing diverse teams within an organization can improve the overall productivity, culture and morale of the company. A diverse team can help organizations discover unique solutions and make effective decisions for the business and also Strengthen morale of the team.
On the other hand, some challenges that may be evident in diverse team include communication barriers which may lead to slower decision making.
Conflict may also arise as result of non acceptance of one solution method. This could lead to biasness in the team.
These challenges can easily be overcome by identifying barriers to language and communication and device counter measures to forestall it by encouraging the team learn the language or introducing translator. Also, working boundaries should be established and deadlines implemented adequately.
Cohort 9 Team 2
Working with a structured and controlled team is different from working with a diverse team. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Working with a diverse team gives room for learning, innovation, exchange of ideas, solutions and creativity. Yet a diverse team if not properly guided may slip from the original goal of the project and may also accommodate many conflicted opinion which may lead to loss of time in accomplishing the project.
Diversity in team always bring high performance and good output and outcomes, diverse team tend to solve problem faster due to the fact that everyone is bringing on board diverse skills experiences and expertise as everyone will love to deliver their best.
In a much that diversity in team has an advantages, it also has its limitations which are;
– Different pattern of works
– clash of opinions
– Unhealthy rivalry/ competitions
– Low team cohesion
– Difficulties in understanding each other.
Divergent skill constituted team tends to perform optimally well because of lack of affinity and the aim of result oriented teammate, the understanding hinges on achieving greater output for the overall project good
Highly diverse teams tends to disagree on certain workflow as the are yet to fully get acquainted with each other and their diverse work ethics. The lack team bonding, doubt in the level of expertise of a fellow team member to execute the Job as demanded by the sponsor or product owner sets in. Opinions take a larger part than collaboration.
The main challenges that occur in highly diverse teams are:
Lack of Trust
Uncertainty
There is always a level of “analysis paralysis”
Expert power.
Working with a team with team members having different technical knowledge is very beautiful idea,the advantages are as follows,
1. The always enough technical know-how knowledge bank for the project.
2. The team members will have a lot to learn from each other.
3. The project is most times carried out within a short while.
The disadvantages can be as follows,
1. The problem of leadership is always the problem,as there might be strive between the team members on who knowledge seems to be superior.
Cohort 9 Team 4
There is a great connection between diversity and performance because a good management of the first births the latter.
Yes I believe teams with greater diversity will produce superior work because here every one’s knowledge is out to work which will bring the failure of the project to a very minimal point.
One biggest challenge will be conflict of ideas which the PM can work out by though communication.
Another challenge is time consumption.
JENNIFER AGHEMWENHIO
COHORT 9 TEAM 5
Every team member is distinct and have diverse levels of expertise. This is considered to be an added to the team in terms of achieving its overall goals and objectives.
Despite this advantage, it is also considered to pose a great risk, if these expertise are not checked and properly handled, especially when each of them have varying ideas, suggestions and opinions.
It is therefore the role of the team leader to know how to manage team diversity, fostering communication and ensuring there is no conflict of interest.
There is a great relationship between diversity and performance as this helps bring different perspectives to project execution.
It has also been discovered that diverse teams tend to do better work than homogenous teams due to the wealth of experience and exposure from different field being brought by all involved in the project.
Also, the major challenge faced by highly diverse teams is firstly communicatioion as there is need to establish a proper channel for this and as well the tenedenct for individuals to want to impress their opinions on the team due to their background or wealth of experience.
Highly diverse teams have the potential to slow down team goals or even drag teams outside their main goals.
Chinwendu Daniel Ogwueli
Team 3, cohort 9.
Diverse team is tends to deliver a quality project as most teams are exposed to high skills . In other hand, it can slow down work progress if there are expertises problems.
AKINREMI PATIENCE COHORT9, TEAM 1
A Diverse team is a group of individuals with different backgrounds and skills that work together as a team to achieve company goals. It also increases organizational performance.
Although, they might have differences regarding Age, ability, nationality, ethnicity, professional background, personal history, skills, gender, or political preferences.
Oftentimes, different perspectives usually result in better decisions and also leads to a more productive team environment.