Leading in a Changing World

Theme 2: The Challenge of Managing Diverse Teams

(Source: Deanna, 2023)

Diversity is defined as the practice or characteristic of incorporating or involving people from various social and ethnic origins, as well as different genders and sexual orientations (Servaes et al., 2022, p.1708). According to research diverse teams achieve better results when they are competently led. In order to attain the better result, leaders must have a particular set of skills in order to conduct the action.

Emotional intelligence and self-awareness : The extent to which you understand yourself will have a great impact on your own development and personal growth, it will also play a crucial role in the success of a diverse team. Being open to your own personality, style, abilities, and areas for development will help you appreciate and embrace those of other team members. (Wills, 2023)

Practice active listening : Effective managers possess the ability to engage and communicate adeptly with individuals exhibiting diverse communication approaches. By allowing diverse team members the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and experiences, it will bring a wealth of varied skills, backgrounds, and viewpoints to the company. (Meade, 2021)

Advantages and Limitations of Managing a Diverse Team

Employing a diverse team has shown to enhance productivity and provide companies with a competitive advantage in different ways, below are the advantages

• Members that work with various people from different kinds of backgrounds can learn more from each other. They are also better at handling a wider range of customer groups due to their strengthened background. They possess enhanced abilities to handle changing conditions within the work environment. This will be important for some globalized companies as the team is able to reach a larger variety of audience (Greary, 2017).

even so, there are also certain drawbacks if the team wasn’t lead well, for examples

• Cultural differences can also be a key challenge when managing a diverse team, from
  small issues such as vocabulary debates to more significant issues like differences in religious practices which will sometimes lead to conflict and also prolong the decision-making process. (Fear, 2023)

Tuckman’s 5 Stage of Development Model

 (Source: Runn, 2023)

The original Tuckman model outlines the phases of group development, initially designed by Bruce W. Tuckman in 1965 consists of 4 stages which is forming, storming, norming and performing later updated by Tuckman and Mary Ann Conover Jensen in 1977 to include the last stage adjourning. (Bonebright, 2010, p.111).

In the forming stages, it is the initial development of the group where members are new to each other and have little interaction. In the second stage, members become more unfriendly and resist the structure of the group because. Some members sought greater control, while others preferred diverse project tasks. The third stage is where members show harmony and work together as a team because they are more comfortable with each other. The performing stage is the increasing of productivity and friendship built up for the team. They work together more smoothly. The last adjourning stage is that members complete their tasks, acknowledging and honoring members for their contributions to the group. (Render, 2019)

Why diversity is important in retail industry (Walmart Inc.)

Diversity can financially benefit the retail industry, 1000 companies across 15 countries notice that a more diversity managed company often outperforms companies who are less diverse. Customers are getting more diverse, especially for young consumers. They tend to spend more money on companies that are more focused on diversity than companies that are not. Most of them will often boycott the brand if they sense any inequality among genders or racial percentage which will bring bad reputation for the company. (Burns et al., 2021)

(Source: Walmart Inc., n.d.)

At Walmart, our vision is to make everyone feel a sense of inclusion. We are confident that our broad programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion are developing a culture of belonging and to fulfilling our goal to help people save money and live better. When members experience a sense of belonging, it will affect their feelings and enable them to provide exceptional service to our customers and members. (Walmart Inc., n.d.)

How can managers use diversity to gain better result?

• Managers can organize all types of special days to celebrate for the wide variety of members. For example, Chinese New Year, Christmas, Deepavali etc. (Glowacka, 2023).
• Utilize a flexible job schedule for members because of the wide range of age group, some members may have children to take care of and some may have restricted mobility.
• Eliminate stereotypes and biases, as we know Walmart is in the United States which there are many races and gender identities. It is important for managers to get rid of any negativity to provide a more unity workplace.

In conclusion, the benefits of diversity outweigh the disadvantages because as the world progresses, people are more open minded. When a manager has knowledge diversity, it will definitely bring more value to the workplace which sufficiently improves the work rate and happiness of the members.

References

Bonebright, D. A. (2010). 40 years of storming: A historical review of tuckman’s Model of Small Group Development. Human Resource Development International, 13(1), 111–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678861003589099

Burns, T., Ellsworth, D., Field, E., & Harris, T. (2021, January 13). The Diversity Imperative in retail. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-diversity-imperative-in-retail

Fear, C. (2023, July 11). The challenges of leading diverse teams: Tips for Inclusive Leadership: Management and leadership. Acacia Learning. https://acacialearning.com/blog/management-and-leadership/the-challenges-of-leading-diverse-teams-tips-for-inclusive-leadership/

Glowacka, M. (2023, October 26). The essentials of managing diversity in the workplace. Preply. https://preply.com/en/blog/b2b-8-tips-for-managing-diversity/

Greary, A. (2017, February 14). The benefits and challenges of having a diverse team. Jobbio Journal. https://blog.jobbio.com/2017/02/14/the-benefits-and-challenges-of-having-a-diverse-team/

Meade, J. (2021, December 16). Are you prepared to lead a diverse team?. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/12/are-you-prepared-to-lead-a-diverse-team

Render, J. (2019, April 16). Tuckman’s model – 5 stages of team development and practical limitations. Agile-Mercurial THE ART AND SCIENCE OF HANDLING RAPID AND UNPREDICTABLE CHANGES. https://agile-mercurial.com/2019/04/16/tuckmans-model-5-stages-of-team-development-and-practical-limitations/

Servaes, S., Choudhurry, P., & Parikh, A. K. (2022). What Is Diversity?, 52(9), 1708–1710. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1007/s00247-022-05356-0

Walmart Inc. (n.d.). Belonging, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Walmart Inc. https://corporate.walmart.com/purpose/belonging-diversity-equity-inclusion

Wills, J. (2023, September 28). How to lead and manage diverse and international teams. Stratx. https://www.stratx-exl.com/industry-insights/how-to-lead-and-manage-diverse-and-international-teams