...but that is not how it works at all. Quite the opposite actually. You have to demonstrate a high level of inclusion and be able to manage a diverse team in order to harvest the benefits from it. Let us fill you in.

If you have ever tried to be in a diverse team you can probably recognize my first-hand experiences with diverse teams, which I will share with you in this post.

Diverse and inclusive teams are by far the best way to secure innovation and increase profit. Research has shown that compared to a single decision maker, a diverse team will make better decisions up to 87 % of the time. If your team only consists of male members, the decisions will be better 58 % at the time. A gender mixed team 73 % at the time and so forth. The more diverse, the better decisions and overall performance.

Diverse teams excel in troubleshooting, creating novel ideas and accounting for a larger amount of variables in their planning.

However, they have to be well managed and they need time to be formed and find the strength in their complementary competencies and perspectives.

The early stages of frustration

Looking at a diverse team, what I find interesting is that everybody brings different perspectives and knowledge to the table. We are put in a situation, where we have an opportunity to learn from one another - what’s not to like?

Often these teams are off to a great start, but soon small frustrations start to emerge. Toes are stepped on, boundaries are crossed, misunderstandings appear and sometimes the leader has to step in, take actions and provide directions. The friction that is created by different experiences, backgrounds, ideas and world perspectives can feel uncomfortable but is key to better decision making.

If there is inclusive and compassionate leadership and an inclusive culture within such a team, they will soon start producing great work. Team members will experience how they complement each other and hereby are able to deliver high performance through teamwork. The good news is that you can set the direction for the inclusive culture that you want to foster and you can train and develop your inclusive leadership skills. Below I share some easy tips for those of you who are working in diverse teams.

Why you will experience clash and crash

When you establish a diverse team, you are putting together people with different upbringings, cultural backgrounds and therefore norms, knowledge and experiences, just too mention a few. The illustration here gives an example of how it affects communication and meetings.

It becomes complex, when we are in a team, where there are totally different ways of perceiving and understanding the world. Those things you take for granted. Things you never have had to think about, because you have been with others that more or less have been in the same contexts as you. Therefore they have not challenged you on your beliefs and opinions.

Edwall Hall, an anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher, talked about low context vs high context cultures as the figure below is explaining. Countries using more explicit communication are defined as low context countries whereas countries using more implicit communication are defined as higher context countries.

Just try to 1) place yourself in the line and 2) think about how these differences can be played in a team with regards to communication and work styles, deadlines, and organizational hierarchies and 3) think about what it would take to create a high performing team with diversity.

It is important to emphasize that diversity is much, much more than nationality. I am only using that parameter to illustrate the points in collaboration in diverse teams.

Tips for you if you want to accelerate your team to a new level of performance

In the early stages the diverse team could benefit from this task, which can be repeated and thereby works as prevention:

In a team meeting, ask them to consider their worldview with regards to work style, time management, communication style, and how they give and receive feedback - how does this differ from their other colleagues. This exercise helps establish an understanding of differences and perhaps similarities while voicing assumptions out loud to avoid misunderstandings before crashing.

Other than that:

Foster a culture where you communicate and talk about your experience. It will benefit in the end
Try to take out the emotions when your boundaries are crossed. Know that it is a sign of misunderstandings or lack of communication
Be open to others perspectives. They are as important as yours.
Listen and learn. What is being said? Make a plan, so you know what to do in the next situation. Because there will be a next situation.
Always be curious and ask questions in order to understand. Keep on asking

“Research shows that high performance teams have high emotional intelligence and an ability to “read” the mental state of team members.”

Sarcasm may occur

On the other hand, if you just want a smooth team, with no conflicts, less innovation and productivity - then go for a culture fit, instead culture add. Search for team members who think, act and look like you. Search for those who are having the same educational background and more or less same lived experience - you will feel and look like the best team in the world. You will easily agree on everything. But you are missing out on a chance to do better…

If you want to talk more about how to develop your inclusive leadership skills or just talk about how your organization could start, just give us a call or send us an email…

Resources:

Amy C. Edmondsen, The fearless organization
Clever pop: New Research: Diversity + Inclusion = Better Decision Making At Work
World Economic Forum/Korn Ferry: How We Can Use Tech to Improve Diversity in The Workplace.
Edward Hall: High-Context versus Low-Context Intercultural Communication. Culture matters.
Forbes: New Research: Diversity + Inclusion = Better Decision Making At Work.
Harvard Business Review: Diverse Teams Feel Less Comfortable — and That’s Why They Perform Better
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. Engel, David; Woolley, Anita Williams; Jing, Lisa X.; Chabris, Christopher F.; Malone, Thomas W., Reading the Mind in the Eyes or Reading between the Lines? Theory of Mind Predicts Collective Intelligence Equally Well Online and Face-To-Face
Neuroleadership.com. Your Brain at Work. Why Diverse Teams Outperform Homogeneous Teams
“You” illustration credit: Ellen Hake, Neuroscience, Communication, Cross-Cultural Management

Get a diverse team and you will have high performance. No, I'm sorry