Bringing diverse people together


In many cases, the only way to solve a problem is to bring a diverse group of people together. In a fifteen-minute world, we often do not have the time to wait around; we need to explore new avenues to fast-track thinking and innovation.

To do this we must seek out new ways of promoting a diversity of opinion. In recent years in business we have seen the emergence of many new structures and conversations to do this, including cross-functional teams , scheduled conversations with customers and, finally, meetings with suppliers. All these approaches are examples of how businesses are trying to break new ground, open up our minds and discover new learning partnerships.

When viewing this trend we must see it as more than just pooling expertise and know-how; we are exploring new ways to help people and business to think differently. As has been said many times before, like-minded people produce like-minded results. So when we are trying to break new ground we can rarely do this by cloning. We need to liberate diversity, eccentricity and creativity to have high-value exchanges and win the knowledge game.

So what does it take to build such positive creative tension? Be assured, fostering different minds to work together is not plain sailing. It can easily raise tension and conflict if not managed properly with the right ground rules.

To give some substance to this, let us explore how diversity is managed within new teams, e-teams and consortiums.

New teams

Hardly a week passes without a team changing shape or a new one forming. This is a very common occurrence in business. When it comes to a new team, typically there are a number of priority issues that have to be managed. First, trust needs to be built and rapport established. One way a new team can do this is to share what they have in common and what special qualities people bring with them to this new experience. A conversation about this may be constructed in a number of ways, including having people explain their current role and what role they hope to play in the new team.

In some cases, it helps to have people tell stories of what they have done in the past. This could include sharing what they feel good about and then following this up with past changes they have made. What are their current interests? What improvements are they now planning? You often find that these conversations will open up the level of trust and cohesion in the team. Then, having bonded a little, the team is much more likely to work together and resolve the other issues such as:

  • clarifying a common vision and shared purpose

  • agreeing on the right behaviours and ground rules

  • discussing roles and procedures

  • setting up regular rituals for dialogue

  • establishing measures for evaluation

  • celebrating success.

E-teams

In the modern workplace, it is quite likely a person will be working with team members whom they are unlikely to, or will never, physically meet. In these situations digital technology is the only means of communication whether by World Wide Web, web cam or video-conferencing. Although the skills of being in an e-team are very similar to those of being in a traditional team, there are some added finesses which need to be managed.

A firm lesson I have learnt is that in e-teams collaboration and contribution is far more difficult to sustain. If deadlines are missed or expectations are not met, people can go missing much more easily in eteams. It is nearly impossible to control behaviour if someone loses interest 5000 kilometres away. To minimize the chances of this happening, e-teams must nurture wonderful individual effort and deeper thinking by making sure that people work to a planned timetable, agreed purposes and have regular reviews of performance. For the team leader, this means making sure that individual and team effort is rewarded, effort is celebrated and milestones are constantly discussed and reinforced. Again, interests can be shared by e-noticeboard technology which is now freely available in the marketplace .

Consortiums and joint ventures

A common practice is for managers to pull together talent from other businesses to help generate a stronger collective effort. We see this in many business marketplaces , particularly in welfare, community groups and in small business. For example, in the government or not-for-profit sector, I know of very few agencies and charities that do not pool expertise, resources and costs to work smarter . You also see partnerships in fields such as new high technology, patent development and dot.com ventures, where people pool resources and expertise to better compete with the bigger players in the field. Needless to say, it does wonderful things for your reputation and intangible value if you are affiliated or connected to a good group of talent.

Like any form of business partnership, consortiums and joint ventures can raise many issues regarding confidentiality, protection of intellectual property and how the benefits can be rewarded. There is no doubt that if you have different egos, representations or relationships involved in a consortium the process can be more complex. Again it is fundamentally important to agree on key values, duties and goals. Agreed working behaviours can vary depending on the expectations and history of the people involved, but there needs to be some shared purpose for the consortium to work.

An excellent case study is ProGroup a niche consulting group which specializes in diversity support in the USA. Here is ProGroup s modified and updated listing of behaviours for over five years. By exploring their agreed values listed at www.progroupinc.com you can get some sense of the sort of issues which can be explored if you venture into the consortium path .

Key behaviours (values to live by in ProGroup consortium):

  • We are committed to the success of ProGroup and each other.

  • We speak positively of our colleagues and clients and treat them with dignity .

  • We are responsible for our own well-being and development.

  • We listen with respect to each other and to our clients.

  • We are a living laboratory and learning organization.

  • We will partner with clients and do our best to identify and address their needs.

  • Once we make a commitment, we meet or exceed it.

  • We are clear, honest, direct and courageous in all communications.

  • We recognize the diversity of ProGroup as a strength to be accepted and appreciated.

  • Good intent is assumed and we act in ways that build trust.

  • Although we are doing serious work, our workplace will be a positive place where we can be ourselves , laugh and have fun.




Winning the Knowledge Game. Smarter Learning for Business Excellence
Winning the Knowledge Game. Smarter Learning for Business Excellence
ISBN: 750658096
EAN: N/A
Year: 2003
Pages: 129

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