Organizational Teams: Linking Team Diversity, Performance and Satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose of the article: Diversity in the workplace is one of the biggest challenges in contemporary organisational studies. Understanding and effective management of diverse teams deserves greater concern in scientific literature as well as in managing teams in real organisations. The main goal of the paper is to provide an analysis of team diversity, performance and satisfaction in a series of interviews with managers. The first part of the article is dedicated to the concept of diversity and Diversity Management based on literature review. The second part is focused on linking diversity with performance and defining popular trends in research of diversity. The third part is presenting a report from ongoing pilot research focused on feedback from managers and suitability of methods (DPQ, 7S McKinsey, and questionnaires base on Likert Scale) in 2 companies in the Czech Republic. Methodology/methods: Research methods are adjusted to article‘s aims. The following methods are used: DPQ (Diversity Perspective Questionnaire), 7S McKinsey, and questionnaires based on Likert Scale) in 2 companies in the Czech Republic. Findings: The findings showed the similarity of research findings from abroad – organizations in the Czech Republic generally are not yet aware of the importance of Diversity Management as an overall strategy. Diversity perspectives and strategies of parent companies (headquarters) and their subsidiaries may not be consistent Monitoring of the workforce changes doesn’t take place in both companies. There is no strategic work with diverse teams. None of two companies is not using systematically findings from research on diversity to create more effective work groups and teams. Important finding is that diversity was accepted by respondents as an important factor of competiveness and effective problem-solving. Conclusions: The research showed an importance of linking team diversity, performance and satisfaction. Results indicated a link between diversity, competiveness and effective problem-solving.