MANAGERSHIP

Leadership

Leadership

Blog 1

Examine the pros and cons of diverse teams

Pros to diversification

Innovation

People belonging to different backgrounds and cultures think differently, encouraging more thinking, inventions and discoveries.

Profitability

A diverse team knows how to market the products and services to the customer and understand the end-consumer well.

Talent pools

A wider selection of people is made available, and organizations are able to find talented and more gifted people.

Cons to diversification

Conflicts

People may engage in constructive disagreements or power struggles which can create a bad political environment.

Bureaucracy

Decision making process is often delayed because of differences in views and opinions

Disunity

Everyone in the company might have a different opinion on the way business should be run and managed; thus, the company might have people doing their own thing, especially if there is no protocol and authority to ensure common practices.

Recommendations to manage a diversified team

Recognize differences

Adapt to the cultures of the employees

Communicate and discuss differences

Be attentive

Properly evaluate how a diverse work team has affected the organization's revenues.

What research suggests how a leader might achieve this goal?

A leader must have the required vision to leverage a diverse workforce for achieving superior results. The goal must be to attract, develop and retain the best employees from all walks of life. This requires having a culture in which the involvement of individuals is respected, and they are treated on fair grounds. Managers must possess the competencies to engage with the workforce and know their demands. All the viewpoints must be heard and respected (Mayhew, 2013). Also, it is recommended that managers must involve women and minorities at levels of the organization and integrate those with disabilities because of their talents and capabilities. An inclusive environment must be fostered that promotes creativity and helps in creating a challenging workplace. Also, all the initiatives must be communicated and made transparent to the stakeholders. In the end, everyone is accountable for their own actions.

What examples from organizations support the authors' view?

Diversity today is about doing much more than hiring the minorities. This involves the efforts in seeking the diverse suppliers and stakeholders. It is interesting to see here that major accounting companies are on the top list when it comes to having a diversified workplace portfolio. This involves organizations like Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst and Young. There are several other organizations as well which are working on the philosophy of diversity and have been successful. PwC has implemented various programs aiming at diversity development which help in mentoring the minority employees. At IBM, all the managers and the CEO participate in mentoring programs and the mentors and the mentees are required to complete a cross-cultural training course. Dell has the amazing list of diverse suppliers and the company has a metrics defining diversity goals which aims for effectiveness and efficiency throughout its diverse portfolio (Thomas, 2013). Same is the case with many other companies worldwide. Debate the relevance of this point of view for your chosen industry - what other priority skills are being looked for?

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