Introduction
The changing economics of today has prompted the study of cultural diversity in the place of work partly because many companies are reorganizing themselves and downsizing into more manageable units such as teams (Brislin, 2008). As a consequence, most companies are established around groups as the best ways of finding solutions to problems facing them. These teams usually bring together people from diverse backgrounds and entail a range of personalities and ideas.
In teams, people are usually dependent on each other to accomplish the set goals. However, it must be understood that though teams have many advantages, they also face challenges associated with diversity. This paper aims to answer the question: how does cultural diversity positively and negatively impact team performance? Specifically, the discussion will be centered around the positive and negative impacts of cultural diversity on a team.
Innovation
Cultural diversity may impact on a team positively (Lucas & Kline, 2008). Teams that are culturally diverse are usually associated with enhanced satisfaction and ingenuity. A diverse team is likely to be creative as it has a wealth of ideas from different backgrounds (Sneha, 2009). A good example is the research teams at Apple Company. These teams usually come from diverse backgrounds and this means that they have a great number of ideas which when shared lead to the development of great products.
Decision making
Cultural diversity impacts positively the decision making process of the team. Teams usually make use of consensus on their way forward. It has been established through a study that, even though, consensus building in a team is very important, focusing on consensus building can as well result in deliberations that are not optimal (Sneha, 2009). This happens when teams place a lot of stress on attaining concurrence and fail to discuss other available options. It has been established that the diversity of a team can easily bring in diverse outlooks as well as promote discussions that are constructive.
Heterogeneity of a team
Generally, heterogeneity of a team improves the quality of decisions made; the only problem is that widely varying opinions and perceptions amongst members can make it hard to reach decisions that are acceptable to all. Particularly, in situations that require urgent decisions, heterogeneity can be a big issue. Lucas and Kline (2008) argue that diverse teams have problems in reaching concurrence on programs that are highly integrated. Sneha (2009) indicted that diversity is important for enhancing the aspect of making decisions and it can as well enhance the possibility of conflicts which may ultimately hamper teamwork amongst members of the team. In general, the heterogeneity of the team can be both advantageous and disadvantageous in terms of making decisions.
Complexity of tasks
The structural aspects of the tasks have been found to affect the performance of the team (Lucas & Kline, 2008). For instance, when dealing with tasks that are complex and uncertain, it is always important for all members of the team to come together to make sound decisions that can best solve their issues. This, however, is not always the case as the diversity of members can easily fail to deliver even simple tasks.
Instead, different studies have associated the cognitive diversity of members of a team with the quality of discourses and the successful execution of tasks and responsibilities. At Wal-Mart China, for instance, diversity issues are highly pronounced to the point that the company soon close its doors. There is a clash between the Eastern culture and Western Culture (Lucas & Kline, 2008). It is known that team members from the West hardly involve themselves in many of the things other members from the East do.
Solving problems
A diverse team has been found to be more effective when it comes to solving problems. In particular, when members of the team differ in various aspects or have varying characteristics such as differences in education and expertise are likely to register improved performance. Thompson (2011) argues that the ability of individuals to solve problems as well as their ability to understand the issue at hand is enhanced by diversity in the knowledge of the team members. At Apple, for instance, team members usually come together deliberate on the way forward whenever they are confronted with a problem (Lucas & Kline, 2008). Some of the issues they usually discuss include religion, place of origin, and workplace issues that impact their performance.
Conclusion
Cultural diversity as it has been seen is a range of aspects or characteristics defining a team. These aspects may be educational in nature, racial, religious, and many others. These factors impact considerably the functioning of a team. Cultural diversity has both a negative and positive impact on a team. In terms of positive impact, cultural diversity acts like a place where ideas are generated and shaped. Such ideas can change and shape the team for the better. In terms of negative impact, cultural diversity has been found to delay the process of making decisions in a team.
References
Brislin, W. (2008). Working with Cultural Differences: Dealing Effectively with Diversity in the Workplace. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Lucas, C., & Kline, T. (2008). Understanding the influence of organizational culture and group dynamics on organizational change and learning. The Learning Organization, 15(3), 277-287.
Sneha Khilay. (Producer). (2009). Cultural Diversity – Tips for communicating with cultural awareness. Web.
Thompson, T. A. (2011). Circles of change. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 9, 42-47.