Team Diversity

(INTRO)

Demographics and Ethnicity

Diversity of Age, race, and gender are demographic factors important to team composition. Age is important to building team diversity and demographic composition because with age comes experience, expertise, and knowledge. Globalization and increasing diversity in the workplace has also made race an equally important factor. Whites and African Americans used to be the focus of race studies; however, these studies recently extended to include Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, and Middle Easterners. The difference in preference of power distribution, level of conformity and behavioral norms makes gender another important factor. These differences influence team behavior, climate, leadership, and norms (Moreland & Levine, 1992)

In an increasingly globalized world ethnic diversity has become extremely relevant. As cities become more multicultural, organizations create teams comprised of international and local populations. Recent studies even suggest that students who interact with racially and ethnically diverse peers show greater intellectual growth and academic skills. 


An analysis of two longitudinal studies [of over 15,000 students] showed that students who interacted with racially and ethnically diverse peers both informally and within the classroom showed the greatest "engagement in active thinking, growth in intellectual engagement and motivation, and growth in intellectual and academic skills (University of Arizona, 2009).

Personality Traits and Occupations

Diversity also divides a learning team through different personality types. According to Robbins and Judge, the definition of "personality [is] the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others" (Robbins & Judge, 2009, p. 105). Different models for personality types exist that explain how different personality types react to situations. Because learning teams communicate predominantly through the written word, choosing one's words is an important factor in the classroom. One's personality develops through their background, family upbringing, culture, education, and many other factors. For example, one personality type may view a certain word as harsh, impersonal, or even rude because of previous experience whereas another may simply view the term as effective and straight-forward. A hindrance in communication because of personality differences can be detrimental to the learning team. Learning to communicate through personality types is essential in all walks of life, but especially in an online learning experience.

One's personality also helps determine what career field they choose and vocation is another factor of diversity among the learning team. For example, if a team member works as a bartender or server, they may be more