Effects of Diversity in Teams

Question: Write a Report on theEffects of Diversity in Teams. Answer: Introduction This report focuses on teamwork and team diversity in an Information technology workplace. The research question that is tackled has an insight on both the positive and negative impacts that diversity in teams has in an IT workplace. The report is formulated from the PowerPoint presentation on the corresponding topic of the study. Research Findings From the study of the impacts that diversity can cause in teams in an IT workplace, there are both constructive and negative implications. The IT workplace is characterized by personnel with diverse specializations. Human resource working in most IT organizations is drawn from different backgrounds. The workplace diversity focuses on the similarities and difference that these people bring to an organization. Some of the Common diversity include; Personality Diversity, Cultural Diversity, Digital divide/ technological difference and the Gender differences. Positive Impacts There are a variety of constructive implications that arise within organizations with employees from diverse orientations. Within such organizations, a variety of viewpoints in diverse work environments this is because of the large pool of ideas and experiences from the diverse individuals to foster growth. Additionally, an environment that has a mix-up of different people drawn from diverse backgrounds, there is room for Constructive ideologies from the individuals. With different people, they offer a variety of solutions to problems. IT institutions are also able to provide a broad service range. The diverse personal contribution, skills, and experiences enable IT firm to have a wider perspective to offer services. For instance, global cultural diversity allows a firm to offer service on an international basis. Generational diversity allows a firm to target the consumers from different generations. Other positive implications of workplace diversity are a better division of labour a nd skill utility which makes it is easy to group people according to their diverse capabilities. Besides, increased adaptability to dynamic environments which include the flexibility to adapting to changing market and consumer demands, an efficient execution due to high levels of employee performance which allow for the implementation of strategies leading to high productivity and growth (Holman, 2015). Negative Impacts From the research, the negative implications of having diverse work force include an escalation in conflicts at the workplace. There is a high chance of misunderstandings between team members which may slow down productivity and problem-solving. Ineffective communication can be caused by language and cultural diversity. This may result in confusion, lack of team work and low morale among the employees leading to increased errors and conflict development. Resistance to change and the implementation of change at the workplace may also be experienced. However, Change resistance can be warded off through education and inclusion (Daly, 2016). Moreover, refusal to accept that diversity exists between the employees may also cause confusion and misunderstandings. According to Lenciono, (2016) in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable Faux leaderships are caused by the possibility of too many leaders for the different diverse groupings. Whenever there is a collaborative group, th ere is a high chance of having numerous individuals attempting to guide the group, and not enough, majority of individuals in the team who are willing to relax and just do what it takes to get the task done can arise due to diverse workplace. The ill can then spread over into other departments in the working environment, leading to more tension in the other teams and the rest of the staff, involving those who may not even be involved in the collaborative effort. A shift of focus in leadership hinders the implementation of projects due to inconsistency contrary to IT projects which require consistency and maximum attention. Sequence of Content From the research conducted, the information is presented in a detailed and appealing PowerPoint presentation that showcases the detailed findings in a slide template. The entire PowerPoint slide template has ten slide presentation pages. The cover paper contains the title of the presentation and the topic being analyzed. It also has information about the author or presenter of the research question. The second slide is the introductory slide that contains a crucial definition of terms. Next in line is the slide that explores the general content of what diversity entails. Slide number four elaborates a summary of a typical IT workplace (Langan-Fox, Cooper Klimoski, 2014). The next slides number five and six respectively showcase the positive implications of the workplace diversity. The negative effects of having a diverse workforce in an IT environment are illustrated by the slides seven and eight. The second last presentation page contains a summary of the findings and gives the re commendation on how to affect diversity in an IT organization. Special Features for Presentation From the presentation of the topic, some of the special features applied to the research are using observation and conducting interviews on different groups within an IT organization. An interview with an IT manager was used as a resource to complete the research. During the preparation of the presentation, significant visual aids are used. The PowerPoint presentation uses a colourful theme that matches the technology scene and acts to captivate the audiences attention. Each slide used has notes that give a detailed explanation of the items presented on the main slide. The presentation has elaborate use of charts and diagrams that focus on detail illustrations and content delivery. Research Recommendation After the study, it can be established that a strong execution of diversity in the workplaces required. Information technology companies need to come up with indispensable remedies to improve the efficiency and the constructive implications of diversity in teams at the workplace. Since most IT professionals agree that diversity in the teams at IT workplace leads to more positive outcomes than the negative impacts, the workplace diversity has to provide strengths and offer challenges to an organization (Daly, 2016). Some forms of diversity such as cultural diversity are meaningful as it helps employees to learn from each other during an interaction. This enhances the understanding of each other and improves interpersonal communication. A variety of viewpoints, broad service ranges, improved workplace communication, a quicker strategy execution and enhanced division of labor and skill utility are all benefits of diversity in the workplace. Information technology workplaces should, ther efore, embrace diversity the teams at the workplace. Research Conclusion Diversity also improves and transforms the workplaces by helping other individuals and offering a learning experience for the employees and even the employers. Organizations that embrace diversity are likely to realize its benefits since can succeed and compete more effectively. Different employees bring individuals skills, experience and talent to an organization, they also come up with diverse problem-solving ideologies and suggest flexible ideas of the dynamic information technology sphere (Keskin, 2014). On the other side, the negative implication caused by diversity may be costly o resources such as money and time efficiency. If mishandled, workplace diversity may be disastrous o an organization and damage the reputation of the company and is employees. Organizations that embrace diversity can, therefore, provide a wider range of services by utilizing the diverse collection of skills and experiences. Diversity in teams at the workplace also inspires the employees to perform thei r highest abilities. Diversity allows for the execution of different strategies hence resulting in higher productivity, profits and return on investments in information technology. References Lenciono, P. (2016). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Keskin, T. (2014). Collaborative information technology moderation in dynamic teamwork with Team member departure. Austin, Tex.: University of Texas. Daly, A. (2016). Workplace diversity: Issues and perspectives. Washington, DC: NASW Press. Gravel, S. A. (2014). Workplace diversity-- how to get it right. Esty, K. 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