Research sheds light on pros and cons of team diversity

Research sheds light on pros and cons of team diversity. National diversity can be harder to accommodate in team work than differences in expertise, according to research by a University of Sheffield psychology student. Research carried out by doctoral researcher and lecturer Tom Calvard into diversity in work groups, explored when, how, and under what conditions groups harness the value of their own diversity. The study focused on 46 Australian Master´s of Business Administration project teams, with an average of five members per team, and tracked how much each of the teams displayed indications of `perspective taking´ - a group´s ability to engage with seeing the world from different points of view. The three indicators of team `perspective taking´ measured were: - Positive attributions – tendency to accept that the root causes of the behaviour of others arises from a particular situation (e.g. workload, other pressures) which can be constructively changed to help improve their work contribution, rather than `blaming´ more rigid aspects of their character, personality etc. Empathic concern – tendency to feel and make appropriate displays of compassion, concern, and sharing in the emotional situations of others.