Hafiz Abdul Manan

ID # 320408
How would you describe your student team in terms of its diversity?
Our student team is very much diversified one, include people of different gender, regions and
characteristics.

In what ways would there be advantages and disadvantages to increasing its

diversity?
Advantages
INCREASED CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
Bringing in people who have different views on the same issue means you are more likely to get a
melting pot of fresh ideas, thus improving the creativity of your team and boosting its capacity for
innovation. A study last year by Boston Consulting Group, which looked at 1,700 companies
across eight countries, found that organizations with more diverse management teams have 19%
higher revenues due to innovation.

BETTER PROBLEM-SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING

Team members with diverse backgrounds will bring diverse solutions to the table, which leads to
a more informed decision-making process and improved results. Harvard Business Review found
that diverse teams are able to solve problems faster than teams of cognitively similar people. A
white paper from online decision-making platform i found that when diverse teams made a
business decision, they outperformed individual decision-makers up to 87% of the time

Disadvantages
There can be a perpetual state of confusion or conflict present.
What might seem normal for one person could be considered an insult to another. Even if
diverse teams are able to get along well, there are always small annoyances that require
coping skills for the team to stay together. In a worst case scenario, a disagreement based
on culture or experience can lead to a power struggle that may destroy the team if left
unchecked.

It can increase administrative responsibilities.

When there are different people offering opinions or strategies based on their own unique
perspectives, it can take some time to sort through all of that data. This means it could take
more time to create a corporate decision when diverse teams are present, especially if
there are many different actions that have been recommended. This increases
 administrative responsibilities because the unwritten rule of business is that every idea
should be documented in some way so that it can be properly considered

How might you be able to manage some of the disadvantages so that your team is
able to capitalize on the potential advantages?

The following are suggested techniques for successfully managing a diverse team:

1. Make sure that your employees feel valued and included in business strategy.
Employees who feel appreciated are more likely to contribute more and care about a
company's success.
2. Get to know each of your employees as an individual. Recognize each person's unique
talents and abilities.
3. Communicate with each employee by giving both positive and constructive feedback on
a regular basis. Do not give people who are different from you an easier or harder time.