Cultural Diversity and Teamwork: A Research Proposal

Introduction and Problem Background

Teamwork is becoming increasingly important in the business world, as interdepartmental and interdisciplinary teams are brought together to solve complex problems within organizations. At the same time, the workplace is becoming more diverse in terms of gender, age, culture, and many other factors. As a result, businesses in recent years have faced the dual challenges of creating effective teamwork and managing diversity among employees (Lankard, 1994).

There is significant evidence to suggest that diversity has a largely positive effect on teamwork. Deborah Gruenfeld of Stanford's Graduate School of Business suggests that teams with at least two diverse points of view on a specific topic make more effective decisions than teams with a single point of view. As Gruenfeld (2000) notes, "the pressure of the minority forces the majority to think more complexly and consider diverse evidence." Further, Ernest H. Drew, CEO of Hoechst Celanese, observed that diverse teams — consisting of a mix of minorities, females, and white males — produce broader solutions to business problems than a homogenous group composed mostly of white males (cited in Lankard, 1994).

Positive Effects of Cultural Diversity on Teams

At the same time, researchers note that cultural diversity can have a strong negative impact on the effectiveness of teamwork. Cultural differences can manifest as differences in communication styles that hinder group communication. For example, some cultures tend to be more reserved and speak in low, soft voices, potentially allowing members of more aggressive, loudly spoken cultures to dominate group discussions. Furthermore, cultures can differ greatly in their perception of emotional tone in group communication; even communication through eye contact can be interpreted as intrusive, shameful, acceptable, or challenging, depending on cultural perspective (Lankard, 1994).

Businesses are therefore faced with the challenge of not only reducing intercultural conflicts and communication problems, but also taking advantage of the potentially positive creativity and diversity of opinion that cultural diversity offers. While this may appear straightforward in principle, the actual reality of managing cultural diversity in a team environment is far more complex. In almost any business environment, a number of other variables come into play, including the specific organizational culture, the nature of the task, the physical environment (whether groups are meeting face-to-face or virtually), and the particular cultures and individual personalities involved.

Challenges and Negative Effects of Cultural Diversity

As a result, it is often profoundly difficult for businesses to effectively manage culturally diverse teams in order to maximize benefits and reduce costs to the organization. However, businesses that fail to effectively manage cultural diversity run the risk of intercultural conflict and communication breakdown, resulting in poor group performance and potential losses to the organization.

This research proposal seeks to identify specific ways in which organizations incorporate diversity into a team environment. The study will aim to determine the attitudes and factors involved in minimizing communication problems and harmful cultural differences in such settings. Further, this study will attempt to identify positive steps organizations take to leverage cultural diversity, resulting in increased creativity and better problem-solving outcomes.