The Factor of Different Cultures and Team Performance (Essay Sample)

Different Cultures and Team Performance
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The performance of a team is always influenced and affected by a number of different factors. A good example of this is the factor of different cultures and diversity. According to various studies carried out in relation to the effect of cultural difference and diversity in the performance of a teams, groups comprised of team individuals from an assortment of diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds work more efficiently and successfully than groups that are homogeneous, or embodied for the most part of colleagues with comparable backgrounds. The effect of cultural difference therefore as well as that of diversity in other aspects have been found to affect the performance of a team in a positive manner (Leimeister, 2010).
The absolute most striking divergences can be seen in the areas of critical thinking, conflict determination, and innovativeness. In these three essential skill sets, different groups have been demonstrated reliably to beat their homogenous partners. This is in accordance to Scott E. Page, the author of the book The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies. The explanation behind this is that difference in culture and diversity among team members tends to generate various sorts of engagement, which affects how a team performs. The sort of engagement that exists in the group and how the group handles it will determine if this cultural difference will be effective and efficient in expanding or decreasing performance and execution of tasks.
In incorporating a person from a different culture into my team, for instance a person from the Chinese culture, I would first start by trying to understand his culture, the values, social norms, as well as other aspects of his culture that will affect how we relate, communicate and perform together. It is only by understanding their culture that one can best understand how to rela...