team development and leadership module 1

8/8/2019 team development and leadership Module 1

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Meaning of Group A collection of two or more interacting individuals who maintain stable

patterns of relationship, share common goals, and perceive them as being a group. A

group is more than a simple collection of people.

Social scientists have formally defined a group as a collection of two or more interacting

individuals with a stable pattern of relationships between them who share common goals

and who perceive themselves as being a group.

A group: Its Defined characteristics

To be a group, four different criteria must be met:

(1) There must be two or more people in a social interaction,(2) They must have a stable group structure

(3) They must share common goals, and

(4) The individual must perceive themselves as being a group.

There are different types of groups: The most basic way of identifying types of

group is to distinguish between formal group and informal group.

Formal groups: Formal groups are created by the organization and are intentionally

designed to direct members towards some important organizational goals. One type of

formal group is referred to as a Command group.

Informal groups: Groups that develop naturally among people, without any direction

from the organization within which they operate.

Interest groups: A group employees who come together to satisfy a common interest.

Friendship groups: Informal groups that develop because their members are friends,

often seeing each other outside of the organization.

Command group is a group determined by the connections between individuals who areformal part of the organization.

Task group: A formal organizational group formed around some specific task.


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THE NATURE OF GROUPS

The group is widely recognized as an important sociological unit of

analysis in the study of organizational behavior. Studying groups is especially valuable

when the dynamics are analyzed. Group dynamics are the interactions and forces among

group members in social situations. When the concept is applied to the study of

organizational behavior, the focus is on the dynamics of members of both formal or

informal work groups and, now, teams in the organization.

The popularity of work groups and teams is soaring. Although they were

first used in corporate giants such as Toyota, Motorola, General Mills, and General

Electric, recent surveys indicate that the great majority of American Manufacturers now

utilize teams and that they are being widely used in the service sector as well. Yet, as

with many other areas of organizational behavior, the study and application of groups isundergoing considerable controversy and change. For example, in a commentary about

the status of groups in the field of organizational behavior, Alderfer noted:

Groups and group dynamics are a little like the weather something that

nearly everyone talks about and only a few do anything about. Research, practice, and

education about group dynamics are currently in a state of ferment. In the world of

practice, we hear leaders speaking out to encourage teamwork, to support empowering

people, and to establish organizational cultures that promote total quality management.

Each of the initiatives depends on understanding groups well and acting effectively with

them.

In additional, todays social environment surrounding groups is changing.

For example, there is the assumption that Generation Xers are difficult to manage in

groups because they have low needs for group affiliation, high needs for individual

achievement, and doing their own thing. The solution may be found in the careful

construction of rewards and performance measures in order to obtain cooperation and

collaboration.

Why Do People Join Groups?

As we know that people often join groups to satisfy their mutual interests

and goals. To the extent that getting together with others allows us to achieve ends that


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would not be possible alone, forming groups make a great deal of sense. In fact,

organization can be thought of as collections of groups that are focused towards

achieving the mutual goal of achieving success for the company. There are several

additional reasons to satisfy mutual interest to achieve security, to fill social need, to fill

need for self esteem.

Theres safety in numbers, Groups frequently form for purpose of

seeking protection from other groups. For example trade unions such as the AFL/CIO,

the UAW, and the teamsters, have been formed by labor for purposes of seeking

protection against abuses by management. Similarly, professional association, such as the

America Medical Association and the American Bar Association, were created, in large

part, for purposes of protecting people in their respective fields against undesirable

government legislation.This is not to say that groups are always designed to promote some

instrumental good; indeed, they also exist because they appeal to a basic psychological

need to be social. In the context of Maslows need hierarchy theory, people are social

animals; they have a basic need to interact with others. Groups provide good opportunity

for friendships to develop and, hence, for social needs to be fulfilled.

Also as suggested by Maslow, people have a basic desire for their self-

esteem to be fulfilled. Group memberships can be very effective way of nurturing self-

esteem. For example, if a group to which one belongs to is successful (such as sales

group that meets its quota), the self esteem of all members (and supporters) may be

boosted. Similarly, election to membership in an exclusive group (e.g, a national honor

society) surely will raise ones self-esteem.

Meaning of Team

Coming together is a beginning.

Keeping together is progress.

Working together is success.

- Henry Ford


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A group whose members have complementary skills and are committed to a

common purpose or set of performance goals for which they hold themselves mutually

accountable. A team includes few people; same as a small group, because the

interaction and influence processes, vital for a team to function, can only occur when

the number of members is small.

When more people are involved, there will be difficulty in interacting and

influencing each other. Team includes people with mix of skills appropriate to the task to

be done. Team members need technical, problem solving and decision making, and inter-

personal skills. Having a common purpose and common purpose and common

performance goals, sets the tone and direction of the team. A team comes together to take

action to pursue a goal, unlike a group, in which members report to the same superior or

work in the same department. The Purpose becomes the focus of the team.

Nature / Characteristics of Teams:

A Team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are

committed to a common purpose, common performance goals, and an approach for which

they hold themselves mutually accountable.

Teams include people with mix of skills appropriate to the task to be done. Teammembers need technical, problems solving and decision making, and inter-personal skills.

Not all members will have all the required skills; differently members will have different

skills. However, as the team grows, develops and matures, team members will come to

have more of the necessary skills.

Finally, the definition states that team hold themselves mutually accountable for

results, rather than merely meeting a managers demands for results, as in the traditional

approach. If the members translate accountability to an external manager into internal, or

mutual accountability, the group moves towards acting like a team. Mutual accountability

is essentially a promise that members make to each others to do everything possible to

achieve their goals, and it requires commitment and trust of all members


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Clear purpose: It should be defined and accepted vision, mission, goal or task, and an

action plan.

Informality: Informal, comfortable and relaxed.

Participation: much discussion with everyone encourages participating.

Listening: Use of effective listening techniques such as questioning, paraphrasing, and

summarizing.

Civilized disagreement: Team is comfortable with disagreement; Does not avoid,

smooth over, or suppress conflict.

Consensus decision making: substantial agreement through thorough discussion,

avoidance of voting.

Open communications: feelings seen as legitimate, few hidden agendas.

Clear roles and work assignments: Clear expectations and work evenly divided.

Shared leadership: in addition to a formal leader, everyone shares in effective

leadership behaviors.

External relations: The team pays attention to developing outside relationships,

resources, credibility.

Style diversity: Team has broad spectrum of group process and task skills.

Self-assessment: periodic examination of how well the team is functioning.

They are empowering to share various management and leadership functions.

They plan, control and improve their own work processes

They set their own goals and inspect their own work

They often create their own schedule an review their performance as a group

They may prepare their own budget and coordinate their work with other

department

They usually order materials keep inventories and deal with suppliers

They are frequently responsible for acquiring any new training they might need


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They may hire their own replacement or assume responsibility for disciplining

their own members

They, and not others outside the team, take responsibility for the quality of the

quality of their product or services

Teams are also known by other team such as empowered teams, self directed

teams and self management teams.

Group vs. Teams

Groups may be distinguished from teams in terms of the variation characteristics

summarized here

GROUPS TEAMS

Individual Contributions

Individual outcomes

Common goals

Demands of management Self-imposed demands

Common goals andcommitment to purpose

Mutual outcomes

Individual contributions andcollective work product

Performancedepends on..

Accountabilityfor outcomesrests on .

Members areinterested in

Responsiveto.


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Team differs from groups. Group members possess diverse skills but teams possess

complimentary skills.

In groups performance typically depends on the work of individual members. The performance of a team, however, depends on both individual contributions andcollective work products- the join outcome of team members working in concert.

Typically, members of groups pool their resources to attain a goal, although it isindividual performance that is taken into consideration when it comes to issuingrewards. Members of groups usually do not take responsibility for any resultsother than their own. By contrast, teams focus on both individual and mutualaccountability- that is they work together to produce an outcome (e.g., product,services, or decision) that represents their joint contribution, and each member shares responsibility for that outcome.

Whereas group members may share a common interest in attaining a goal, teammembers also share a common commitment to purpose. Moreover, these purposestypically are concerned with winning in some way, such as being first or best atsomething. For example, a work team in a manufacturing plant of a financiallytroubled company may be highly committed to making the company the top onein its industry. Another team, won in a public high school, may be committed to

preparing in a graduate for the challenges of the world better than any other school in the district. In fact, teams are said to establish Ownership of their

purposes and usually spend a great deal of time establishing their purpose. Likegroups, teams use goals to monitor their progress. Teams, however, also have a

broader purpose that supplies a source of meaning and emotional energy to theactivities performed.

Teams differ from groups with respect to the nature of their connection tomanagement. Work group are typically required to be responsive to demandsregularly placed on them by management. By contrast, once managementestablishes the mission for a team and sets the challenge for it to achive, ittypically give the team enough flexibility to do its job without any further interference. Thus, many teams are described as being autonomous or semiautonomous in nature. This is not to say that teams are completely

independent of corporate management and supervision. They still must beresponsive to demands from higher levels ( often higher-level teams, known astop-management teams).


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SCOPE AND IMPORTANCE OF TEAM WORK

Complex task cannot be performed by a single person. Hence people prefer to do work

in groups but there arise a lot of problems in working in groups, thus there is necessity for team work. The scope of team work can be studies under two heads.

a) With in business

b) Outside business

a) With in business there is lot of scope for teamwork within business organization, each

and every aspect of business uses teamwork, it is proved that difficult can be performed

better in teams

1) Scope in human resource

Team wok is mostly used in getting better result of human resource. It includes in

aspects like change management, diversity management, training process etc

2) Scope in marketing

Team work helps marketing people in connecting to different areas and people. A single

sale of product is joint effort of advertisement and salesman thus team work can be used

in areas like sales, customer satisfaction etc

3) Scope in finance

The world of finance is an ever-changing maze. New lenders, new deals,

comparing the products, negotiating with Lenders. team work can match our clients with

a lender likely to view their circumstances most favorably. It includes in areas like fund

collection, financial analysis etc

b) Outside business teamwork is not only used in business but also in our day to day

activities like church, medical, elections, parties, sports etc.

1) Medical field

Previous investigations have identified the teamwork is essential to effective team

performance in a number of complex settings thus


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Medical team training must be instilled and reiterated at every stage of a care provider's

career, if it is to fully exert its potential positive impact on patient safety. Medical field

like surgery were different experts come together to get one end result.

2) Sport

All team sports have similarities. Understand that everyone wants to be both valued

and a part of something bigger. Sport like football were team which uses tam work is

most likely to succeed than team with the best player and no team work.

Significance

TEAM WORK Helping employees, mangers and departments work better together hasnumerous benefits. Rather than thinking of team development in the workplace as specialintervention, it should be seen more as helping the company to work to its fullest

potential. Teamwork is at its essence- a set of individual behavioral choices that workersmake in their own best interest, and for their own satisfaction, security and survival.

Better teamwork is essentially free, and the benefits of more synergy, cooperation,communication and commitment can yield very tangible results- namely profitability,higher performance and increased organizational competitiveness. Tapping into this 'freeresource' is however, a very artful process that is often mis-managed, badly delivered, notaccurately measured or neglected entirely.

Consultants and trainers are often brought in for a quick fix to try and teach somethingabout how to work better, to provide a 'feel good' team building experience, or to attemptto resolve long held conflicts and animosities between departments that are causingserious breakdowns in process or production. Often these band-aids are too little too latewith no long term remedy.

Stressors from lack of teamwork in an organization are many; insecurity and mistrust,dishonesty, not sharing information or resources, purposeful non-cooperation, lack of communication, and overall poor performance compared to what might be possible.Whether intentional or not, the complexities and interactions of any company with morethan 50 employees are bound to cause friction and misunderstandings when human

beings try to work together. That's why teamwork is one of the most important factors to pay attention to.

Departmental Teams and Identity. Each department naturally develops their own identity,culture and norms. Natural competition between departments will develop in an ad-hocfashion if it is not purposely guided. Research show that small units benefit most fromteamwork development and can apply positive teamwork approaches for fastest results.


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The departmental team is 'where the rubber meets the road' in terms of the potential benefits of better teamwork.

Organizational Culture of Teamwork. On a macro-scale the entire organization should becareful about what it communicates in relation to teamwork. Clearly stated expectations

about departments and divisions working well together should be continually emphasizedin top executive statements, corporate communications and symbolism throughout each plant and office.

Breaking Down Walls and Silos. Teamwork is especially important between internalcustomers in the value chain who perform the core functions of the organization andcontribute to key processes. Teamwork can be the lubrication that makes all of the partsof the machine run smoothly.

Human-ness, Fun and Enjoyment at Work. When people feel relaxed and secure they perform at a much higher level. Humor and enjoyment at work correlate strongly with

employee satisfaction, turnover, and organizational climate issues. Warmth of relationships can affect morale and reduce barriers between individuals that resistance inapproaching one another and working well together. It's always better when workers liketo come to work and enjoy those they work with.

Leaders Lead More Effectively. With good teamwork, leaders can share the load moreeffectively, gradually developing their teams to be more self-directed. This also providesdevelopmental opportunities for employees and builds respect for leaders. Leaders wholead their teams well are better supported and have stronger credibility in theorganization. Leaders with strong teams behind them are more capable of meeting specialdemands that require extra effort.

Teamwork Measurement. With accurate measurement of teamwork factors, andattitudinal trending over time, teamwork training and other initiatives can be directlyattributed to successes as well as identifying downward trends before they becomecritical. Teamwork measurement should be one of the important gauges on the corporatedashboard.

Teamwork Skills Yield Greater Productivity. Teams who invest in learning problemsolving, group process, continuous improvement and other more sophisticated teamwork

behaviors will out-perform other teams of similar size and make-up. Meetings will bemore efficient, goals, directions and tactics will be better understood, key collaborative

relationships will be prioritized and teams will have a much more definitive direction. New Organizations, Mergers, New leaders, Change. Time and energy spent on thedevelopment of new teams and relationships is a critical factor in merging cultures of different organizations, integrating new managers and leaders, and setting up a new set of norms and behaviors that will lead to high performance. There is no substitute for theintegration step between companies in a merger situation or between managers andemployees with a leadership change, but it can be handled in an efficient and proactive


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way with a focus on building better teamwork from the outset. When all parties are clear and comfortable with the new direction, the inefficiencies of change can be minimized.

Investment in Lubricating Virtual or Long Range Relationships. Teamwork should be amajor emphasis for any meeting where relationships are maintained virtually or at a

distance most of the time. Time spent in building better teamwork and stronger relationships when the group is actually together is insurance for the lion's share of thetime when team members cannot meet face to face.

Impact on Customer Satisfaction. One of the areas most sorely felt wheninterdepartmental teamwork is poor is the area of customer satisfaction. This might takethe form of dramatically different experiences for the customer when dealing with onedepartment or another. It might be a lack of follow through from production on a criticalcommitment made by sales or engineering. It might be the negative customer experienceof feeling neglected because no department in the supplier's company seems to want totake responsibility. We've all been there. A strong theme of team work training and

development needs to show the direct impact on the external customer- and the potentialcosts if the company can't work well together.

Impact on Strategic Alignment- Buy in and support for plans, especially as they becomemore complex happen easier with good teamwork. When an organization is tasked withmulti-dimensional complexity, demanding customers or the need for highly accurate andspecific levels of quality it will require much more detailed interactions and cooperation.The importance of great teamwork is more important as tasks get more complex. Withgood teamwork, employees have a higher willingness to take individual responsibilityand share a positive culture of mutual assistance and support to help shoulder the load.The ability to respond to change, achieve greater goals and implement more complex

strategies are only possible with inherently strong teams.Teamwork is a Critical Factor in Employee Self-Actualization. Great teamwork clears theway for initiative which is freely shared, creativity to come on line and extra effort whenneeded. All employees share the desire for greater feelings of involvement, ownershipand participation. Teamwork feeds fundamental human needs for membership andacceptance in a group and frees individuals to express themselves and their talents to the

best of their ability.

In summary, a proactive focus on teamwork is an organizational imperative, not justsomething given lip service at the annual company picnic. When responsibly developedin each department, and organization-wide, teamwork can be the critical factor thatassures targets are reached, initiatives are well implemented, and increasedcompetitiveness is achieved. When high levels of teamwork are in place, a range of measureable factors will all trend positively, from lower employee turnover and stress-related absences to departmental improvements and efficiencies and higher levels of customer satisfaction.


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Teamwork in a company is utterly important. Regardless of the size of the company. For without teamwork, a company will fail to move forward; fail in its mission to achievesuccess.

Imagine Viking explorer, Erik the Red, captaining his 44-oared warship; 22 Norsemenrowing north, and 22 Norsemen rowing south. It's a gross exaggeration, but it's the

perfect example of a company without teamwork.

The world's most successful companies traveled in a straight line towards their successgoals; a strategy built on a solid foundation of teamwork. Corporate giants like IBM,Microsoft, McDonald's, Wal*Mart, and Japanese companies like Toyota, all credit adedication to internal teamwork campaigns for their successes: Toyota with its morning

fitness exercises, Wal*Mart with its morning cheers, and IBM with its "Think" slogan.

Teamwork begins at the top and filters down to the lowest levels of the company. Themost effective managers instill both a desire to work as a team, and the desire to shine asa team, in their employees. For without a united group, a company's successes will befew.

Teamwork is a natural requirement for any entity, corporate or otherwise, if progress is to be made. A conductor of an orchestra must have teamwork; the general of an army musthave soldiers who work in unison; a fire chief battling a blaze must have firefighterscommitted to being a team.

Luckily, for the corporate world, most humans gravitate towards team work; they prefer sharing the workload. Humans have discovered, since the earliest of days that manyhands make for a much lighter load. And sharing the glory after achieving success is veryenjoyable. Corporate America simply cashed in on that natural law.

Teamwork equals strength; strength equals success; it is as simple as that.

The requirements of the organization is changing management is expected to take quick

and complex decisions and employees are expected to implicate it, through teamwork organizations have achieved new heights of success. Teamwork divides the task and

multiplies the success. Some of the importance of team work is More input leads to better ideas and decisions

Higher quality output


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Involvement of everyone in the process

Increased ownership and buy-in by members

Higher likelihood of implementation of new ideas

Widens the circle of communication

Shared information means increased learning

Increased understanding of other peoples perspectives

Increased opportunity to draw on individual strengths

Ability to compensate for individual weaknesses

Provides a sense of security

Develops personal relationships

Complementary skills

It leads to Employee satisfaction

Strategic focus (inspiring vision)

Conclusion

Doing teamwork is never easy. Different people of various backgrounds come

together, frictions are inevitable and conflicts are bound to happen. Through the effective

use of team work, team members will be able to establish trust, have mutual support

among members, and will be able to identify when a problem or conflict within the group

arises, thus being able to arrive at an adequate solution. With the proper implementation

of team skills, any team involved towards achieving the goals of the organization will be

successful.

SYNERGY

Synergy comes from the Greek word synergia, meaning joint work and

cooperative action. Synergy means the interaction of two or more agents or forces so thattheir combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. Synergy can be

negative or positive. For instance social loafing in a negative synergy, on the other hand

research teams, they combine talents of different individuals to produce more meaningful

research, this is positive synergy.


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Social loafing

It is the phenomenon of people making less effort to achieve a goal when they

work in a group than when they work alone. This is seen as one of the main reasons

groups are sometimes less productive than the combined performance of their members

working as individuals. This becomes negative synergy.

Social facilitation

The tendency for performance to improve or decline in response to the

presence of others. The research on social facilitation tells us that the performance of

simple and routine tasks tends to speed up and is made more accurate by the presence of

others which is positive synergy. While when the work is more complex the presents of

others is likely to have negative effect on the performance.

Corporate synergy

A corporate synergy refers to a financial benefit that a corporation expects to

realize when it merges with or acquires another corporation. There are three distinct types

of corporate synergies

Revenue

A revenue synergy refers to the opportunity of a combined corporate entity to generate

more revenue than its two predecessor stand alone companies would be able to generate.

For example, if company A sells product X through its sales force, company B sells

product Y, and company A decides to buy company B then the new company could use

each sales person to sell products X and Y thereby increasing the revenue that each sales

person generates for the company.

Management

Synergy in terms of management and in relation to team working refers to the combined

effort of individuals as participants of the team. Positive or negative synergy can exist.


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Cost

A cost synergy refers to the opportunity of a combined corporate entity to reduce or

eliminate expenses associated with running a business.

Human synergy

Human synergy relates to interacting humans. For example, say person A alone is too

short to reach an apple on a tree and person B is too short as well. Once person B sits on

the shoulders of person A, they are more than tall enough to reach the apple. In this

example, the product of their synergy would be one apple. A song is also a good example

of human synergy, taking more than one musical part and putting them together to create

a song that has a much more dramatic effect than each of the parts when played

individually.

A third form of human synergy is when one person is able to complete two separate tasks

by doing one action. For example, if a person was asked by a teacher and his boss at work

to write an essay on how he could improve his work that would be considered synergy.


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In business, cooperation of people with organizational and technical skills happens very

often. In general, the most common reason why people cooperate is it brings a synergy.

Example: Two teams in System Admin working together to combine technical and

organizational skills in order to better the client experience, thus creating synergy.

Case study - Tri-Synergy

Tri-Synergy Ltd is a marketing and business development company based in Hampshire.

It specializes in marketing, internet marketing and PR.

Leaders Synergy Managers

Provide vision Employee Empowerment Provide resources

Pursue opportunities Strategic Achievement Reduce risks

Inspire Teamwork Coordinate

Lead improvisation Jazz of Innovation Provide structure

Do right things Effectiveness Do things right


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Implemented a work experience scheme to combine the practical experience of the

workforce in the company with fresh, innovative ideas brought in by the placement

student. The result was

increased Tri-Synergy's product/service offering; developed a new training manual used with all employees; Significantly increased clients' businesses and hence secured the client on an

ongoing basis for the company.

New Web Portal Boosts Efficiency at the Reject Shop

The Challenge

Decrease costs, improve productivity and enhance customer service through a centralized

communication system. Provide more effective staff and inventory management. Make a

complicated back-office environment easier to support and manage.

The Solution

Using IBM WebSphere Portal Express, The Reject Shop worked with IBM and

business partner Synergy Plus to make applications available through a portal that can be

managed centrally.The Benefits

Dramatically improved decision-making, resulting in reduced costs, increased

productivity, better relationships with customers, partners and suppliers and more

uniform customer service and store presentation.

TEAM AND WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

What is workforce Diversity?

Workforce diversity is the similarities between and differences in such characteristics as

age, gender, ethnic heritage, physical abilities and disabilities, race, and sexual

orientation, among the employees of organizations.3M Corporation defines its goals


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regarding workforce diversity as valuing uniqueness, while respecting differences,

maximizing individual potentials, and synergizing collective talents and experiences for

the growth and success of 3M.

Workplace diversity refers to the extent to which an organization is culturally diverse.

Cultural diversity includes the range of ways in which people experience a unique group

identity, which includes gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnic and age. An

organizations culture tends to determine the extent to which it is culturally diverse.

Diversity Management

Diversity Management is a comprehensive managerial process for developing an

environment that works for all employees.

DIMENSION OF DIVERSITY

There are two types of workforce dimensions

Primary dimension

Secondary dimension


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Primary dimension : The primary dimensions of diversity are factors that are

either inborn or exert extraordinary influence on early socialization: age,

ethnicity, gender, physical abilities, race and sexual orientation.

Age : Changing demographics in the workforce will require differences in benefit

packages, compensation systems, training programs, equipment, physical facilities, and

other organizational processes and characteristic

Race and Ethnicity : Racial and ethnic cultural differences may be more important than

most managers initially realize, because critical differences exist addition of women,

cross cultures in attitudes to, beliefs about, and values surrounding work.

Gender : Sixty-one percent of the expected growth of the workforce by the year 2005 will

be due to the addition of women. Womens were the one of the first groups to be

emphasized in the early attempts at providing equal employment opportunity and

affirmative action.

Sexual orientation : It is estimated that 10% of the workforce is homosexual:

homosexual works in all type of industries including finance, insurance, science

engineering, and computers.

Secondary dimension of diversity : Secondary dimensions of factors diversity

include factors that are important to us individuals and to some extent define us to

others but are less permanent and can be adapted or changed : educational

background, geographic location, income, marital status, military experience,

parental status, religious beliefs, and work experience.

Benefits of Workplace Diversity

An organizations success and competitiveness depends upon its ability to embrace

diversity and realize the benefits. When organizations actively assess their handling of

workplace

Diversity issues develop and implement diversity plans, multiple benefits are reported

such as:


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Increased adaptability

Organizations employing a diverse workforce can supply a greater variety of solutions to

problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources. Employees from diverse

backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible

in adapting to fluctuating markets and customer demands.

Broader service range

A diverse collection of skills and experiences (languages, cultural understanding )

Allows a company to provide service to customers on a global basis. It will lead to

access new segments.

Variety of viewpoints

A diverse workforce that feels comfortable communicating varying points of view

Provides a larger pool of ideas and experiences. The organization can draw

From that pool to meet business strategy needs and the needs of customers more

Effectively . It will help in Creativity problem solving and productivity .

More effective execution

Companies that encourage diversity in the workplace inspire all of their employees to

perform to their highest ability. Company-wide strategies can then be executed;

resulting in higher productivity, profit, and return on investment.

Implementation of diversity in the workplace policies

This can be the overriding challenge to all diversity advocates. Armed with the results of

employee assessments and research data, they must build and implement a customized

strategy to maximize the effects of diversity in the workplace for their particular

organization.

Successful Management of Diversity in the Workplace


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Diversity training alone is not sufficient for your organizations diversity management

Plan. A strategy must be created and implemented to create a culture of diversity that

permeates every department and function of the organization .

Better image towards public and authority:

Providing equal opportunity to all the employees in an organization . Respects the

employees' unique attitudes and promotes a shared sense of corporate identity.

NEGATIVE IMPACT ON WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

Diversity also increases errors and misunderstandings

Group members may assume they interpret things similarly when in fact they do not, or they may disagree because of their different frames of references.

Mistrust and tension

People prefer to associate with others who are like themselves. This tendency often leads

to mistrust and misunderstanding of those who are different because of lack of contact

and low familiarity. it also causes stress and tension ,and reaching agreement on

problems can be difficult.

Stereotyping

We learn to see the world in a certain way based on our backgrounds and Experiences .

Our interests, values and cultures act as filters and distort, block and select what we

see and hear . We see and hear what we expect to see and hear. Group members often

inappropriately stereotype their different colleagues rather than accurately perceiving

and evaluating those individuals contributions, capabilities aspirations and motivations.

Such stereotypes affect how people employee stereotyped as unmotivated or emotional

will be given less -stress provoking jobs than their co-workers. Those job assignments

will create frustrated employees, perhaps resulting in low commitment, higher turnover,

and underused skills.


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Challenges of Diversity in the Workplace

Taking full advantage of the benefits of diversity in the workplace is not without its

challenges. Some of those challenges are:

Communication

Perceptual, cultural and language barriers need to be overcome for diversity programs to

Succeed. Ineffective communication of key objectives results in confusion, lack of

teamwork, and low morale.

Resistance to change

There are always employees who will refuse to accept the fact that the social and cultural

makeup of their workplace is changing. The weve always done it this waymentality

silences new ideas and inhibits progress.

Implementation of diversity in the workplace plan

The personal commitment of executive and managerial teams is a must. Leaders and

Managers within organizations must incorporate diversity policies into every aspect of

the organizations function and purpose. Attitudes toward diversity originate at the topand filter downward. Management cooperation and participation is required to create a

culture conducive to the success of your organizations plan.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommended steps that have been proven successful in world-class organizations are:

Assessment of diversity in the workplace

Top companies make assessing and evaluating their diversity process an integral part of

their Management system. A customizable employee satisfaction survey can accomplish

this assessment for your company efficiently and conveniently. It can help your

management team determine which challenges and obstacles to diversity are present in

your workplace and which policies need to be added or eliminated. Reassessment can

then determine the success of you diversity in the workplace plan implementation.


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Development of diversity in the workplace plan

Choosing a survey provider that provides comprehensive reporting is a key decision.

That report will be the beginning structure of your diversity in the workplace plan. The

plan must be comprehensive, attainable and measurable.

Recommended diversity in the workplace solutions include:

Ward off change resistance with inclusion

Involve every employee possible in formulating and executing diversity initiatives in

your workplace.

Foster an attitude of openness in your organization

Encourage employees to express their ideas and opinions and attribute a sense of equalvalue to all.

Promote diversity in leadership positions

This practice provides visibility and realizes the benefits of diversity in the workplace.

Utilize diversity training

Use it as a tool to shape your diversity policy. Launch a customizable employee

satisfaction survey that provides

Comprehensive reporting. - Use the results to build and implement successful diversity

in the workplace policies. As the economy becomes increasingly global, our workforce

becomes increasingly diverse. Organizational success and competitiveness will depend

on the ability to manage diversity in the workplace effectively. Evaluate your

organizations diversity policies and plan for the future, starting today.

HOFSTEDE MODEL :


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Geert Hofstede's research gives us insights into other cultures so that we can be more

effective when interacting with people in other countries. Information will reduce level

of frustration, anxiety, and concern

HOSTEDES FIVE CULTURAL DIMENSION

Power Distance Index (PDI): This represents inequality (more versus less), but

defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a society's level of inequality is

endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders.

Individualism (IDV): Individuals are inte-grated into groups. On the individualist side

we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to

look after him/herself and his/her immediate family. On the collectivist side, we find

societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-

groups, often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) which continue

protecting them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty

Masculinity (MAS) : It refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is

another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found. The

IBM studies revealed that (a) women's values differ less among societies than men's

values; (b) men's values from one country to another contain a dimension from very

assertive and competitive and maximally different from women's values on the one side.

Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI): Deals with a society's tolerance for uncertainty

and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to man's search for Truth. It indicates to what extent a

culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in

unstructured situations

Long-Term Orientation (LTO): Long Term Orientation are thrift and perseverance;

values associated with Short Term Orientation are respect for tradition, fulfilling social

obligations, and protecting one's 'face'. Both the positively and the negatively rated values

of this dimension are found in the teachings of Confucius.


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GLOBAL EXAMPLE FOR WORKFORCE DIVERSITY:

DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT AT HYATT HOTELS

RECOGNITIONS

Fortune lists Hyatt No. 19 on its list of the 50 Best Companies for Minorities.

Hispanic Magazine in its February2007 issue rates Hyatt as having one of the

Top 25 Recruitment Programs.

The Black Collegian in its March 2006 issue ranks Hyatt No. 42 in its Top 100

Employers Survey.

Savoy Professional Magazine in its Spring 2007 issue includes Hyatt as one of 10

select profiles for its feature , Mixed Company A Short Hard Look At Corporate

Diversity.

DiversityInc.com listed Hyatt in its annual Top 50 Companies for Diversity.

Child Magazine in its May 2007 issue ranked Hyatt among the Best Hotels for

Families.

HYATT DIVERSITY PLAN


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COMMITEMENT:

Formation of diversity councils at the corporate and hotel levels

Provide scholarships for minority students pursuing degrees in hospitality

management

Partnerships with national minority organizations.

ACCONTABILITY

Create action plans to increase women and minority representation at all

management levels.

Creating a diverse workforce is visible in the faces of the total workforce.

MEASURABLE

Hyatt Mumbai has 46% females

At managerial position 37% are females


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TRAINING

Training allows the employees to work more efficiently by developing effective

management practices to include treating others with dignity and respect.

COMMUNICATION

Communication through the Mlange newsletter and online at

www.hyttdiversity.com

THE BUSINESS OF DIVERSITY

Helping people connect with each other furthers the goals of an organization,strengthens its business partnerships and creates positive change within the

community.

While the impetus for diversity programs begins with desirable social and

political goals, the strategic commitment needed to make it a part of the

companys business strategy can come only from the highest levels of an

organization

DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT AT RELIANCE ENERGY LIMITED

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Reliance Energy Management Institute (REMI ) looks after the training of the

managerial staff

Versova Technical Training Centre (VTTC) looks after the training of the

technical staff Managers can also have special training programs arranged if

required by the employees

LABOUR UNIONS


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It forms a connecting link between the regular workers and the upper

management. The contract labours have unorganized labour unions to solve their

problems.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF LABOUR UNIONS

Responsible for the protection of the workers who are not locals.

To improve the working conditions of contract labors.

Responsible for the promotion of the temporary labors.

To determine proper wage rate for the employees .

APPRAISAL SYSTEM

For non management cadre:

Years of service.

Looking into Domestic Enquiry initiated/Misconduct (if any).

For management cadre:

Yearly appraisal system

Promotion generally happens once in two years

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Reliance

Very limited diversity management practices

More responsibility on labor union than management

Many unorganized labor unions instead of a single authority.

A positive aspect- clearly defined criteria for promotion.

Hyatt Hotels

Dedicated council for diversity management.


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Proper channelization of efforts.

Equal opportunities presented to all (Ex: Hotel in Saudi Arabia) a country-

specific council could be an improvement over the existing practices

CONCLUSION

A diverse workforce is a reflection of a changing world and marketplace. Diverse work

teams bring high value to organizations. Respecting individual differences will benefit

the workplace by creating a competitive edge and increasing work productivity. Diversity

management benefits associates by creating a fair and safe environment where everyone

has access to opportunities and challenges. Management tools in a diverse workforce

should be used to educate everyone about diversity and its issues, including laws and

regulations. MostWorkplaces are made up of diverse cultures, so organizations need to learn how to adapt

to be successful practice.

team development and leadership module 1

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