Introduction

Research shows that diverse teams as far as skills, thinking styles, and personal characteristics are more innovative. In addition, diversity may contribute to a healthy level of conflict that leads to better decision making. Recent research also shows that both functional diversity and gender diversity can have a positive impact on work team performance.

According to Richard L. Daft, author of many management-related textbooks, "racial, national and ethnic diversity can also be good for teams, but in the short term these differences might possibly hinder team interaction and performance." He also noted that teams of racially and culturally diverse members tend to have more difficulty learning to work well together, but with effective leadership, problems fade.

Looking at the issue presented in the second paragraph above, think if you have ever experienced this concern on a team, committee, or task force of which you have been a member, either at your place of employment or other organization.

Assignment Prompts/Tasks

1. WatchCreation Of A Team Pt.1Links to an external site. and Creation of A Team Pt. 2Links to an external site.from Remember the Titans.

2. Write a reflection paper which addresses the following:

• Think of a group or team situation when you had a great diversity amongst the team members. For example, maybe your thinking was different from others on the team because of your personal background and beliefs, or even age, gender, or cultural background. How did you initially feel about the difference(s)? -->Identify a team you were a member of that epitomized great diversity (of beliefs, experiences, age/gender, etc.)
• Was there one particular individual that made you feel uncomfortable more than the others in a group? If so, describe the circumstances. (If this situation did not exist, please state so.) How did individual dynamics affect the team? Were there any outliers in the group affecting cohesion (perhaps expressed in pace, comfort, communication, etc.)? Include a discussion about interpersonal relationships.
• Did you sense the team diversity enhanced or hindered the formation of the team at the beginning? If so, why? (Relate back to the Titans' video.) How did team diversity affect "norming" at the outset?
• Once the team was formed and began functioning as a unit, did you have a better sense of the value that the diversity of talent and backgrounds brought to the team? Did the team reach a balance, and if so, were there accompanying benefits that emerged from the diversity?
• Describe if and how the team's diversity boosted creativity and decision-making and relate to the characters in "Remember the Titans."
• What factors makes it difficult for people to understand how differences in intercultural communication styles can cause serious misunderstandings?
• Why is it important to understand some of the general communication tendencies of cultures or diverse groups?
• Discuss how racism impacted and affected the Titans' in the beginning, middle and end of the movie? Discuss how teams are impacted by race in the workforce in the millennium.
• Discuss culture, workplace culture, power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, avoidance of uncertainty, and apply each to the movie (identifying situations involving the above and relate your experiences to the same.) Review Mor Barak, 2022, p. 208 Table 8.1 Dimensions of Cultural Difference.
• Discuss and apply theoretical perspectives on interpersonal cross-cultural communication to the video and your experiences.
• How does team diversity enhance the workplace and create cultures of inclusion? Provide a detailed example.
• Apply the Inclusive Workplace: Level I (Mor Barak, 2022, p. 292). focusing on a pluralistic value frame and discuss "Remember the Titans" and how diversity within organizations creates an inclusive environment.