Far and large we know diversity bring about positive organizational outcomes, but what do we mean when we say we look for the diversity in the workplace? Very likely the first thing that comes to mind is diversity of demographic characteristics such as gender, ethnicity/race, age, etc. Does diversity found in demography have value over diversity found in cognitive diversity, that is one that is represented through different skillsets, perspectives, experiences? Furthermore, whether it is diversity by demography or cognitive diversity, diversity can become, as Horowitz & Horowitz (2007) mention, a “double-edge sword.” The authors argue that team diversity can lead to “suboptimal performance” due to intra/intergroup conflicts, tensions, that could delay decision making processes and hinder the ability of clear communication. Furthermore, they argue that people are often drawn to interact with people with whom they share similarities with, these include similarities of demographic characteristics.
Knowing this, why is diversity such an important aspect in today’s organization? While it is true that diversity can bring a series of work related issues, it is also true that different perspectives also bring different ideas that can result in innovation and overall positive outcomes. Even though the results from the study made by Horowitz and Horowitz in 2007 showed that demographic characteristics did not affect team performance in a meaningful way, demographic diversity promotes tolerance, awareness of different cultures, and even awareness of issues brought upon equality and various movements of that sort. As such, having diverse groups leads to outside the box thinking, sharing, and overall gathered knowledge. In a nutshell, the whole idea of diversity in the workplace, whether demographic, such as culture and race, or cognitive characteristics that have been acquired through expertise and education, both embrace the idea of teamwork and unity. The key to have successful outcomes with diverse groups is learning to manage through the possible issues that comes with managing diverse groups and instead learn to leverage on the differences to produce positive outcomes.
As it relates to the world, in this day and age, we must learn to live with each other and embrace our differences. Perhaps, we must take the world as the largest organization made of people with different perspectives, experiences, skills, and also with different cultural values, ethnicities, religions, etc. This can only make room for us to innovate, learn from each other, and most importantly work with each other through conflicts, using the differences to unite us instead of dividing us.
References
Horowitz, S. J. & Horowitz I. B., (2007). The Effects of Team Diversity on Team Outcomes: A
Meta- Analytic Review of Team Demography, Journal of Management, 33(6): 987-1015