Collaboration and Communication for Team Success - Essay Example

Source: Labbe, Gary. “Globalization and the Utilization of a Culturally Diverse Workforce and its Effect on Cross-Functional Work Teams”, Journal of Team Dynamics, (2009), “The negative effects caused by a diverse team can be mitigated by increasing the stability of teams. Team stability is an important component of team success. Team member stability allows the members to learn what to expect from one another and to learn to collaborate (Katz, & Koenig, 2001). Cooperation among team members is a significant predictor of team success (Pinto, Pinto, & Prescott, 1993). Team cohesiveness and task identity were predictors of collaborative problem solving and productivity for R & D teams (Dailey, 1978). Cooperation and collaboration is essential for team success.” Paraphrasing The author suggests that the negative aspects of a culturally diverse team can be reduced by ensuring that team members are not frequently changed. If team members stay together for an elongated period of time then they begin to understand each others’ style of working and know what to expect from the other individual. Team members tend to start cooperating with each other (irrespective of their cultural differences) if they stay together in the same team. The authors stated that team cooperation and collaboration are important elements for any team’s success. Commentary This paragraph is important for the chosen research topic as it highlights an important technique that can be useful to make teams more productive and successful. Many organizations do not follow this approach and have no awareness about the importance of keeping team members in the same team structure. This approach can reduce many difficulties for the HR department since instances of lack of coordination between team members can be significantly reduced with this approach. Source: Tilker, Lutz. “Managing diversity”, SpencerStuart, 2004. In summary, diversity management can promote the central objectives of a superior stakeholder value strategy. It increases profits, and consequently corporate value, because customer requirements are better satisfied. According to Professor Norbert Thom of the University of Berne, fund companies in the U.S.A. have established that firms with successful diversity concepts have better returns. Diversity management helps to recruit and retain staff because companies take account of the different circumstances of current and potential employees. It strengthens innovation because diversity produces more creativity. And it improves the corporate image because diversity reflects important social values. Paraphrasing The author explains that effective cultural diversity management can prove to increase revenues and corporate value for the company. The improvement in business is due to the provision of better customer service and meeting their requirements in a fitting manner. The author quoted a research of another researcher, who stated that companies with better diversity management techniques are known to be more successful. Such companies are able to understand the problems of existing and new employees therefore they are able to retain more employees than other companies. The author also agreed that diversity promotes creativity in the business processes of the organization and it also helps to attain a positive image for the company. Commentary This paragraph is important for the research since it points out the benefits of embracing multicultural workforces in organizations. Some of the appealing benefits are increased profits, better image of the company and promotion of creativity. This research finding will support the benefits in the research study. Source: Chartered Institute of Personnel and development, “Managing diversity measuring success”, Change Agenda, 2005. For a multinational corporation, having workforce diversity may help it to be better at dealing with the diverse cultures it operates in and to design and implement strategies to improve market penetration and product differentiation through greater innovation or better integration. Adler and Ghadar (1990 p253) argue that managers of multinational corporations can use cultural diversity ‘to differentiate products and services when culturally distinct markets and/or workforces must be addressed, and as a primary source of new ideas when innovation is needed.’ Paraphrasing The author says that it is advantageous for multinational organizations to be equipped with multicultural workforces since this aspect helps them to cater the requirements of their multicultural customers. The availability of a diverse range of viewpoints helps them to modify their products according to the respective areas and hence earn greater market share and revenue. The author quoted two other researchers, who stated that companies are able to improve their product differentiation techniques since multicultural workforces prove to be great sources for innovative ideas. Commentary This research finding promotes the concept of catering the requirement of the international market segments by taking the viewpoints of the culturally diverse workforces. This aspect helps the company to attain product differentiation and greater revenues. Source: Cox, Taylor. ONeill, Paul, and Quinn, Robert. Creating the multicultural organization, Jossey-Bassv Publishers, 2001. First, diversity in work groups can increase revenues through improved problem solving and decision making. Diverse groups have a broader and richer base of experience from which to approach a problem. In addition, diversity enhances critical analysis in decision-making groups. In a series of research studies, Charlene Nemeth found that groups subjected to minority views were better at critically analyzing decision issues and alternatives than those that were not. The presence of minority views improved the quality of the decision-making process, regardless of whether or not the minority view ultimately prevailed. Paraphrasing The author explains that multicultural work groups tend to cause an increment in revenues and improve decision making in the organization. The aspect of better decision making arises from the fact that multicultural teams have greater assets of experience; this level of diversity improves the critical analysis of team members and they are able to reach effective decisions that would be appropriate for a larger set of customers, rather than a focused group. The inclusion of minority views in the decisions improves the worth of the decisions in the organizations. Commentary This finding is valuable for the research because it highlights the benefits of the inclusion of individuals from minority groups in the decision making processes. It promotes the inclusion of their opinions in the decisions so that the resulting strategies are appropriate for a larger set of customers; this will help them attain a better position in the organization. Source: Rosado, Caleb. “What Do We Mean By “Managing Diversity”?”, Workforce Diversity, Vol. 3, (2006). The purpose of valuing diversity and appreciating differences is not simply to make people feel good about each other. Businesses, like other social institutions, have a specific purpose for existing, to implement their mission through whatever product or service they provide. Thus, bringing interactional change at the individual level is only half the process. Christine Sleeter reminds us that, “A major problem with most staff development programs for multicultural education is that the unit of change on which they focus is the individual rather than the [institution] as an organization.”. Such change must be paralleled by a change in the culture and structure of the organization, the vertical dimension, since it is here where the root problems at the horizontal level often reside. Paraphrasing The author stated that the purpose of managing cultural diversity in the organization is not only to make people comfortable in the organization. The main aspect is to achieve the objectives and goals of the business, in the presence of culturally diverse workforces; every product and service should be in amalgamation with the vision of the company. The author stated that it is not enough to bring about the awareness of the value of multicultural workforces among the individuals; changes need to be implemented at the organizational level to induce a culture of embracing the diversity among the employees. The human resource department needs to bring about the change at the vertical level of the organization along with the changes at the horizontal level. The author quoted another researcher in his paper, where the respective author stated that it is common for organizations to focus on individualistic ideas for embracing cultural diversity, rather than working on an organizational level. Commentary This paragraph has been chosen to create awareness about focusing at the organizational level to manage cultural diversity in the organization. The researcher has addressed this aspect in his paper since this practice is often ignored in the management activities and thus results in resistance within the employees to accept the diversity in the organization. Source: Insights, “How to: Manage Diversity Effectively”, Knowledge Resource Center, 30 Oct 2008, Web. 27 April 2011. After generating news on a number of embarrassing race-related cases, Ford UK in 2000 admitted that effective diversity management was needed within the organization. Ford also realized that this would require a process of cultural change. The organization therefore developed and introduced a four-stage change program aiming to: mainstream diversity, give ownership of the change process to everyone in the organization, ensure efficient communication of the change plans and evaluate their progress. The approach was immensely successful and Ford is now one of the organizations looked to for best practice diversity management in the UK. In addition, Ford extensively sponsors culturally diverse events and have organized a best practice diversity management conference. In this way, they have effectively reinforced their internal strategy with external actions. Paraphrasing The author discusses the cultural diversity approach that has been adopted by Ford UK to develop a successful multicultural environment. Ford UK realized the need for effective measures for the management of cultural diversity in 2000. It is after this realization that the company developed a four stage plan; define the level of cultural diversity in the organization, make all the employees responsible for bringing about the change, communicate the change plans at all levels of employees and lastly, analyze the rate of success of the plan. This plan proved to be very successful for the organization and they were able to achieve a well communicated and culturally diverse environment in their organization. Commentary This paragraph has been useful for the analysis of practices that are adapted by organizations in the real world. An important aspect has been highlighted in the paragraph; the human resource department should make the employees responsible for the change. This provokes the employees to take effective actions to develop a healthy and culturally diverse environment. Source: Gilbert, Jaqueline. Stead, Bette. Ivancevich, Jon. “Diversity management: A new organizational paradigm”, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 21. No.1, pp 61, (1999). Organizations which do not make diversity a strategic objective may experience inability to sell in diverse markets, a tarnished organizational image as a result of discriminatory lawsuits and ultimately, demise. The fact that the future labor force will be comprised primarily of minority members, combined with the fact that a future labor shortage is expected across all job categories, makes valuing employee differences an even stronger organizational mandate. Given rapibly increasing workforce diversity, it is important for researchers to provide managers with a knowledge base from which to draw inferences on managing their diverse workforces. Paraphrasing The author stated that it is vital for organizations to consider cultural diversity as one of their strategic goals since otherwise they will not be able to cater the requirements of international customers. On the contrary, they will face numerous lawsuits for misconducts against culturally different individuals and ultimately, may even experience shut down of business. It is also vital to embrace cultural diversity since future workforces are expected to constitute of a higher degree of culturally different individuals. Due to the challenging nature of the times ahead, it is necessary for managers to possess the knowledge of handling cultural diversity in the organization. Commentary This paragraph is important for the respective research since it makes the reader realize of the challenging times that might bring about even greater levels of cultural diversity in the workforces. This paragraph highlights the need to make the managers knowledgeable enough to handle the management of culturally diverse environment. Read More