Really good article on successfully creating diversity and managing conflicts. Diversity can be extremely powerful for organizations if it’s implemented correctly. https://www.ft.com/content/80d3cdc0-6ff4-11e9-bf5c-6eeb837566c5
There is an overwhelming amount of research on why diverse teams perform better: “Teams that take in different life experiences, identities and styles of thinking beat monocultures at problem-solving and prediction.”
There are also significant challenges in bringing together diverse individuals: “Simply trusting people with opposing priorities to combine creatively is more likely to expose divisions than produce gains. Differing cultural assumptions can make it harder for teams to bond, and can lead to friction and misunderstandings, hampering the achievement of goals.”
Here is an example of how understanding someone’s experiences can lead to significantly better outcomes: “His company recently brought together two executives who clashed repeatedly. One loathed top-down power, the other respected hierarchy. In discussion, the executive who mistrusted authority confided that during his childhood his family had suffered under a police state. His colleague then divulged that he ‘went off the rails’ in his teens and regained a grip on life in the army. The discussion did not change their beliefs but it ‘led them to a much better understanding of why they differed, and moderated their behaviour with each other.’”
There is plenty more in the article if you are interested in checking it out.
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#diversity #diversityintheworkplace #conflictresolution #teambuilding #teamwork #humanresources #HR #leadership #managertraining
