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.
In my experience, the presence of diversity in an organisation helps to bring about different viewpoints and helps one to see things from different perspectives. This gives opportunity to the project manager and other members of the team to be able to look at problems from different angles and be able to profer different possible solutions.
The presence of diversity in an organization or in team bring solutions to challenges, innovations through new ideas and a work force can stand the test of time.
In my experience, diverse teams eventually metamorphose into high performing teams. Teams with knowledge/skill diversity and social diversity bring a variety of solutions to challenges encountered in projects. This is typical even in linear project management types typical with what i have experienced in manufacturing where i work. The obvious disadvantage is how long the team moves from storming to norming stage. Diverse heterogenous teams typically take longer to reach that stage. When they however do, the become high performing teams.
A diverse team needs a well experienced project manager who can properly and easily identify strengths and put square pegs in square holes. There is a possibility of this resulting in a slippery slope if not well managed.
Diversity in project managing, is more preferable and less stressful as everyone tends to come together, think diversely but for a common goal, and produce a better result, different ideas, opinions, and experience with no form of sentiment.
I wholeheartedly agree that diversity in a project team unlocks a treasure trove of benefits. But it’s not just about buzzwords; it’s about real-world impact. Take our own home renovation, for instance.
A few years back, my husband and I wanted to insulate our old, drafty house. The logical solution? Knock down the internal walls and start fresh. Then, a new voice chimed in. Our Romanian colleague, fresh from a construction boom in her home country, proposed something radical: external wall insulation using expanding polystyrene or mineral wool.
“Save time, money, and stress?” we scoffed. It sounded bizarre, unheard of in our corner of the UK. Back then, red bricks and internal insulation reigned supreme.
But our colleague persisted. Photos, examples, and enthusiastic explanations painted a different picture. This method, it turned out, was thriving across Europe, readily available and cost-effective. We listened, skepticism slowly giving way to intrigue.
Ultimately, we stuck with our gut and the familiar path. Yet, the seed was planted. Fast forward five years, and guess what? That “radical” suggestion is now the go-to insulation method, transforming homes across the UK with its efficiency and aesthetic possibilities.
It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Somewhere, another diverse team took a chance, championed this unfamiliar idea, and now it’s revolutionizing an entire industry. That’s the magic of diversity. It cracks open the echo chamber of our own experiences, exposes us to fresh perspectives, and ultimately, leads to innovation, progress, and even warmer houses.
So, the next time a diverse voice offers a seemingly outlandish idea, remember my brick wall. Remember the power of stepping outside our comfort zones and embracing the richness of difference. It might just lead to the next big thing.
Diversity has much gain in project managing, as everyone tends to come together, think diversely but for a common goal, and produce a better result
A diverse team gives room for different ideas, opinions, and experience
Familiarity brings disrespect, contempt, and unaccountability, which are potential harms to the project.
I believe that diversity tends to patch that gap. Though one of its limitations might be the need to adapt to the communication patterns of other team members, this can be overcome with a willingness to fit into the system.
Yes it’s true the more diverse team are the better as the team get to know themselves the lazy they become
A diverse team will allow for a larger varieties of individuals with technical know how and expose members of the team to cultural diversities. However, disadvantages may include language barrier leading to poor strategy communication and different ethical and cultural beliefs.