How culturally diverse is your team?

The number of cultures represented in a team can shape the way a team functions.

Although we talk about cultural diversity in teams, it’s not just about whether or not a team is culturally diverse. It’s also about the degree of cultural diversity – this can make a big difference to how the team functions.

The number of cultures represented in a team determines the degree of cultural diversity.

The following types of team range in cultural diversity from high to low:

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Do multicultural teams outperform monocultural teams?

There is no easy answer to this question, as it depends on various factors such as:

• Task complexity – The more complex the task, the more likely the team will benefit from diverse viewpoints.
• Time – Multicultural teams can become more effective at certain tasks if they are given more time, compared to a monocultural team that may perform cohesively together sooner.
• Degree of cultural diversity – Groups with high or low cultural diversity have been found to perform better than those with moderate amounts of diversity.

Your task

Based on your experiences, do you think it is easier, or harder to work in a culturally diverse team (compared to a homogenous team)? Is there an ideal degree of cultural diversity in a team?

Discuss your thoughts with other learners in the comments.