An Introduction to Diversity

& Team Performance

(Click for a printable version)

By Phillip Ragain

What does it take to have a successful project?  If there is just one person working on the project, it’s relatively simple: That person needs to know what he or she is trying to achieve, and then do what is necessary to get to that point.  When there are two people working together on a project, things are a little more complicated. Not only do both people have to know what they are trying to achieve, but they also have to (1) coordinate their individual efforts to achieve the shared goal, and (2) not let their personal differences get in the way.  As you can imagine, it is often much more difficult to align the efforts of two people toward the realization of a single goal. 

Now imagine a project so large and complex that it not only involves dozens or even hundreds of individuals, but those individuals come from different organizations, cultures or even nations.  If a project like this is to be a success, it requires a significant amount of coordination.  Not only must each individual understand the ultimate goal that they are working toward, but they also have to be motivated to do their part while responding effectively to the challenges of working with other people. 

Imagine a sports team that has no concept of what “winning” means, does not have a uniform strategy for winning, and is made-up of players who do not get along because they are too different from each other.  You could hardly expect at team like this to achieve great things; and it is the same for any other kind of team.  Our process is designed to create teams that are bound to and aimed at a shared goal.

This process involves the following basic steps:

DEFINE SUCCESS

Ultimately, any project is aimed at achieving some kind of goal, whether it be manufacturing a single widget or becoming an industry leader.  A project team will have achieved success once it has realized this goal.

MOTIVATE THE TEAM 

As any coach worth his or her salt knows that you cannot simply tell a team to win; you have to make them want to win.  In addition to showing what the teams gains by succeeding, everyone involved must understand what is in it for them personally to be part of a successful project.  It is not always obvious to team members that they are earning more than just a paycheck.  Each individual also stands to gain job security, industry recognition, career advancement, pride and much more.

ADOPT A SHARED STRATEGY 

Imagine what would happen if a coach told his team to “score a goal,” gave them an inspiring pep-talk, and then forgot to call a play.  It’s just like telling the people involved in a project what they are trying to achieve, but then not telling them how they are to achieve it.  When everyone understands their role in a collective strategy, and then commits to that strategy, they are set to work together toward achieving their shared goal.

CREATE ALIGNMENT AMID DIFFERENCE

We all differ in the ways that we do some things.  Some of these differences are insignificant, but others can undermine a team’s ability to work together.  For example, if one crew on the project is committed to completing a detailed safety report every shift, while a different crew only holds 2 minute safety meetings once a week, the two crews are not in agreement about what it means to be safe while working on a project.  These and other significant differences have to be identified, and then everyone must get behind a shared set of guidelines to ensure that the team is taking a unified approach to achieving their shared goal.

PREVENT CONFLICT 

Differences between individuals can quickly undermine a team’s success.  Differences in nationality, race, culture, political beliefs, or something as simple as volume and tone of voice can lead to conflicts.  Our training teaches critical skills for understanding and responding to these differences before they impede or undermine the project’s success.

RESPOND TO CONFLICT

Unfortunately, conflict can sometimes sneak up on us, and if it is not handled well, it can create some serious problems.  Our training teaches critical skills for responding to conflicts in a way that not only resolves them, but also restores working relationships so that people are able to cooperate to achieve success as a team.

CAPITALIZE ON DIFFERENCES

Some differences between team members can be made “synergistic;” which means that they can be coordinated to produce even better results.  The training involves identifying these kinds of differences and then creating a strategy for coordinating them for optimal results.

Phillip is the Director of Product Development for The RAD Group, L.L.C., which is an international organizational development consulting firm.  Over the last 25+ years, the RAD Group has helped hundreds of organizations, of all sizes, deal with tough issues such as poor management, unsafe behavior, bad communication, low productivity and high turnover.