A systems perspective
on diverse teams
A culture based on varied viewpoints
boosts performance, personal growth
By Paul Stanfield
Diversity on teams and in organizations, across its
many dimensions, is widely recognized as a means
to higher performance. High functioning diverse
teams are able to produce better criteria, better
alternatives, better synthesis and ultimately better
solutions; and the individual members grow more.
Yet diversity among team members presents challenges
that might undermine the team’s efforts to be high functioning,
as noted by M.L. Maznevski (Human Relations, 1994).
Even the notion of diverse perspectives can cause team tension
and, to many, the value of varied perspectives is vague
or suspect. To provide clarity and evidence for the value of
diverse teams, we will share two systems examples: a visual
model and a sociological framework.
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