Many of us may ask, "What is Cultural Diversity?" "Cultural Diversity tends to be broadly defined in its current use in organizations to include a variety of races, genders, ages, ethnicities, classes, sexual preferences, physical abilities and religions." (Fine, 1) "A study by Professor Joseph J. DeStefano of the University of Western Ontario and Martha L. Maznerski of the University of Virginia suggests that diversity in and of itself is not responsible for how well a team works together." So then, what makes a team work together? One contribution to a great team is how well they have achieved integration. For example, do they communicate clearly, solve differences in a constructive way and do they generate innovative solutions.…
A successful diverse team can be achieved by bringing people of varying walks of life and geographic areas together so we can blend ideas and experiences to make an interesting and intriguing final product. Every person is different and brings inherent talents to a team. People are from different places and believe different things. People have different opinions and thoughts on numerous issues. These different ways of thinking can often create conflict in a situation. We believe that individual diversity can create…
* The positive sides of a diverse team maybe the teams’ different points of view. Different groups of individuals bring different point of view to a group discussions and decisions toward issues. The different variations of attitudes and concepts can give valuable input while in brainstorming sessions plus issues demanding innovative ways out. The team identity is to produce a creative product, such as in a PowerPoint, and other work related assignments (McRae, 2013). The different backgrounds among the individuals can assist in addressing the needs of a diverse crowed. What this does is it allows the group to connect with people of all walks of life. Diversity within a large group can be viewed as a melting pot that includes individuals from different backgrounds. The positive impact for a diverse background will increase the team’s productivity and socially change the team’s dynamics. Positive things can happen when there is a group of people coming together with different backgrounds; it creates a fun an interesting atmosphere.…
The definition of a team is “a group whose individual efforts result in performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputs” (Robbins & Judge, 2011, p. 316). A team works together in harmony since they all need one another to succeed, such as a football team. Effective teams have adequate resources, effective leadership, a climate of trust, and a performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team contributions. Team members are more likely to take risks and expose vulnerabilities when they believe they can trust other on their team. Some of us hold the optimistic view that diversity should be a good thing; diverse teams should benefit from differing perspectives and do better. Two meta-analytic reviews of research…
As a team we discussed Robbins and Judge Definition of managing diversity. Robbins and Judge state, “Diversity management makes everyone more aware of and sensitive to the needs and differences of others” (2013). One way to do this is by targeting employment ads based on demographic information. This means specifically placing ad in areas that represent a minority base; whether that is ethnic groups or women. Another way to manage diversity is through an organizational groups and teams. The differences among the team members will allow members to use their strengths to increase performance. As a group we understand that organizations must be able to adapt to changes in the workplace. Organizations must be able to effectively communicate change, mandate any training needed for change, and implement these changes in a timely manner. Organizations need to understand there may be some resistance to change at first, but that could be a good thing. This…
Having a diverse team will be beneficial to the team because we all have a different approach to learning and handling task. From all of us having different cultural backgrounds and experiences will help each one of us contribute different ideas and solutions to deal with the challenges to come before us. A…
The Academy of Management Journal wrote in June 2013 that “As workforce diversity increases, knowledge of factors influencing whether cultural diversity results in team performance benefits is of growing importance.”…
The practice of diversity is evolving over time, and no one company has perfected their approach. Many times, organizations who boast strong diversity initiatives that address the diversity needs of a certain group are woefully inadequate in addressing the needs of others. Perhaps this is due to diversity having its roots…
Throughout my undergraduate program, there were many times when I had to work in diverse groups. The most important part about working in a diverse group is treating everyone as an equal. This can be hard at times, however, there needs to be an understanding that not everyone in the group will have the same ideas. Having a diverse group is great though, because the group can look at things from more than one point of view. While at Capella University, I have had to write papers on working with diverse populations. The main ideas for the papers were to do research on the population in order to get a better understanding of the population. At the practicum in Atlanta, my partner was an African American woman from Africa. We each drew four pictures that would describe our lives and have to figure out what we were trying to talk about. It was an eye-opening experience that showed us even though we were brought up in diverse populations we all still had some similarities. I think it is important to find similar traits between diverse populations so a trusted relationship can…
There are many types of diversity in the world today, and no one person can understand all facets that the word diversity holds. By understanding the positive and the negative impact on a group, as an individual and in the groups people work and play with they can open their minds to the possibilities of what diverseness in an organization, team and individual can achieve. Former President Jimmy Carter put it best when he said (http://quotes.telemanage.ca), "We are of course a nation of differences. Those differences don 't make us weak. They 're the source of our strength." One way to embrace diversity in a team is to identify what has the greatest impact on the effectiveness of that team. In this paper the members of this learning team will discuss how the occupations of each learning team member define their role on the team, why religion should be kept separate but the ethics one has should be applied in the team setting, what role gender plays in communication and that differences in sexual orientations in a…
Diversity has many faces that range from gender, culture, ethnicity, race, economic status, physical abilities, and many more, and this can be a problem that can affect many people who are employed or looking for employment in society because they are being judged or discriminated against for their differences. But if business took the time to understand the importance of differences in people so many doors could open for the employers and employees. Allowing diversity in the workplace could increase work morale, attendance, customers, and efficiency and create a less stressful environment for employees. This is possible by first increasing the diversity in the workplace and allowing for employees to learn about each other’s differences and…
As a team, we are aware of the term diversity, and how diversity is tied to our team 's strategy. A good definition of diversity is the uniqueness each team member brings to the resolution of the project at hand. This includes differences such as race, gender, culture, background, education and thinking styles. It also encompasses subtle dimensions such as experience, sexual orientation, physical appearance, and position each member takes on the team. The key objectives that are focused on are team strategy, strategic intent, valuing each other, leadership diversity and what our team believes about diversity.…
The United States today is a society struggling with its own diversity. There have been…
Today, we live in a society where current events and the social issues of race, class and gender engulf our lives. These issues and events can be some of the most important experiences we, as humans, will ever have the privilege to live through. Although several of our experiences can be caused by some of the most tragic events in our lives, others make us appreciate how lucky we are to have the lives we have. Either way, each of our experiences have had a part in shaping who we are today. There are numerous examples in writing, movie and TV entertainment of the common issues our society and world faces each and every day. Readings, such as Diversity and Society: Race, Ethnicity and Gender by Joseph F. Healey, provide readers insight to many…
I am a 17 year old high school student who has grown up in Salt Lake City my entire life. I have played softball for almost nine years, I also play softball for my high school team, and I am a senior this year. I live with my parent’s and my little brother. My family has always been a very stable family, and we are there for each other for everything. My parent’s have been together for 15 years and married for ten years, my little brother is 12 years old, and he just started 7th grade at West Lake Junior High. I like to think my family is a very “normal” family. Both my parents work, we own a house, we have vehicles, and of course we wouldn’t be normal if we didn’t have a house full of animals.…