Team composition, considering backgrounds, cultural heritage and personalities of team members, have a strong influence on team dynamics. The diversity of a team can be a strong facilitator of team performance if it is understood and facilitated with sensitivity. However, interactions in diverse teams can pose a challenge team effectiveness.

Your goal as a team leader is twofold:

• to make sure that you interact/communicate effectively on a bilateral basis, and
• to foster effective communication throughout the team, as a group and amongst members.

Creating awareness for diversity and how it can impact team dynamics, allows you to be more sensitive to the potential issues arising from diversity. Based on this you can remove roadblocks in your team and proactively facilitate diversity to turn this aspect into a key strength of your team. Use this tool to guide your reflection on diversity in your team, as well as to support you in finding strategies to unlock the positive potential resting in the diverse perspectives of all members in your team.

Framework 1/ Creating Understanding

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Framework 2/ Perspectives of team interactions

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Approach/ Putting the tool to work

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Example Application/ Put yourself in this situation

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