MULTICULTURAL TEAMS
Diversity in Multicultural Teams: Advantages and Disadvantages
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Diversity permits increased creativity
-wider range of perspectives
-more and better ideas
-less groupthink
Diversity forces enhanced concentration to understand others’
-ideas
-perspectives
-meanings
-arguments
Increased creativity can lead to generating
-better problem definitions
-more alternatives
-better solutions & decisions
Teams can become
-more effective
-more productive
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Diversity causes a lack of cohesion
Mistrust & Miscommunication
-less interaction between team members
-inaccurate stereotyping
-forming of in- and out-groups
-language and translation problems
-less accuracy
Stress
-more counterproductive behaviour
Lack of cohesion cause an inability to
-validate ideas and people
-agree when agreement is needed
-gain consensus on decisions
Teams can become
-less efficient
-less effective
-less productive
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N. Adler (2002)
In order to gain the advantages and benefits inherent in diverse teams and groups, it is necessary to work through the aspects that bring the additional challenges. Global tmc offers a wide range of programmes geared to development of intercultural and diversity awareness competencies for multicultural, international and virtual teams.
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