From according to small business, "when a

Frommy experience, diverse teams work better. It’s good to have people on your teamthat thinks differently and look at things differently than you. According to Small Business, “ When a group or teamcomprises people who differ in age, sex, race, cultural background and otherfactors, the hoped-for result is a collaboration of wildly diverse thinking. Working with people who differ from each other challenges people’s preconceivednotions about how the world works and it forces people to step outside theircomfort zones and consider new thought processes. By opening people up to newways of thinking, the hoped-for result is often new ideas, new processes, newservices and new products.” WhileI was part a diverse team, we had many challenges.

We had members who left thegroup because they refused to work with others from a different culture.  This hurt our performance because we wereshort one member and many were left uncomfortable. I’ve also been also witnesseda situation where a male refused to work on a team because the leader was awoman. There are individuals who think so highly of their degree that theyrefuse to work with or be led by an individual with no or a lower level degree. To me, all of this is ridiculous.

I will work with anyone, it doesn’t matter whereyou are from, your race, gender, experience, or religion.  Withouteffective management, a diverse team will struggle. It’s very important thatyou get to know your employees as an individual. Recognize each person’s uniquetalents and abilities.  You have to treatthem fairly and equally, regardless of gender or race. You have to understandthat diversity isn’t just about race and gender, you have to think about diversity as diversity of ideas andexperience. According to Small Business, When establishing new groups or teams, smart managers strive for diversity by balancing the individuals they selectbased upon differing internal factors, such as age, race and gender, andexternal factors, including differing backgrounds, educational experiences andpolitical ideologies.

Additionally, when working with diverse groups and teams, smart managers seek open discussion, encourage feedback among group and teammembers, actively listen, and practice flexible decision making. After all, having diverse groups and teams in the workplace provides little value if theirnew ways of thinking are ignored.” Diverse teams, as long as theyare well managed, tend to achieve goals more efficiently. IfI were managing a diverse group, one of my biggest focus would be encouraging communication. Communication is very important in a diverse work environment. According toSmall Business, “ In a diverse work environment, many different ethnicities, age groups, sexes and religions are represented.

Along with these differences come a variety of communication styles. One of themain challenges of managing diversity is poor communication between employees. It’s easy to misunderstand someone who communicates differently.

Misunderstanding leads to misinterpretation and poor office relationships. Topromote better communication in your office, encourage your staff to learn moreabout their coworkers and communication methods. This can be done throughoffice retreats, frequent diversity meetings and diversity seminars.” Poor communication can and will lead to poor productivity.