business management chapter 13-2

Today, companies are embracing a more inclusive definition of diversity that recognizes a spectrum of differences that influence how employees:

- approach work - interact with each other - derive satisfaction from their work - define who they are as people in the workplace

Dividends include the following:

- better use of employee talent - increased understanding of the marketplace - enhanced breadth of understanding in leadership positions - increased quality of team problem solving - reduced costs associated with higher turnover, absenteeism, and lawsuits

In creating a culture of inclusion, managers may experience times of:

- tension and discord as people with different backgrounds bring different opinions and ideas

Heterogeneous teams and organizations, made up of individuals with different backgrounds and skill sets, increase the chances of:

getting a diversity of thought

Diversity is defined as:

all the ways in which people differ

The dimensions of diversity shown in the traditional model include:

inborn differences that are immediately observable such as race, gender, age, and physical ability

in creating a culture of inclusion, conflicts,, anxiety, and misunderstandings:

may increase

companies with more diverse top management teams:

outperform their peers financially

diversity of thought

provides a broader and deeper base of ideas, opinions, and experiences for problem solving, creativity, and innovation

Diversity wasn't always defined this broadly; decades ago, many companies defined diversity in terms of:

race, gender, age, lifestyle, and disability

By tapping into the strengths of diversity, teams are more likely to experience:

- higher efficiency - better quality - less duplication of effort among team members - increased innovation and creativity

One of the challenges of managing a diverse workforce is creating an environment where:

all employees feel accepted as members of the team and where their unique talents are appreciated

The inclusive model of diversity includes:

all the ways in which employees differ, including aspects of diversity that can be acquired or changed throughout one's lifetime

Inclusion creates a strong sense of belonging and a trust that all people

can have their voices heard and appreciated

Managers who cultivate a diversity of thought significantly increase the chance of:

creating hard-to-replicate competitive advantage

inclusion

degree to which an employee feels like an esteemed member of a group in which their uniqueness is highly appreciated

When managers create a feeling of inclusiveness, employees:

display more loyalty, cooperation, and trustworthiness

Managers who want to boost performance and jumpstart innovation agree that:

diverse teams produce the best results

Managers who build strong, diverse organizations obtain numerous:

dividends

Managing diversity, a key management skill in today's global economy, means creating a climate in which the potential advantages of diversity for organizational or group performance are:

maximized, while the potential disadvantages are minimized

a team's collective intelligence increases when there are:

more women members on the team

"Great minds think alike" but when it comes to achieving breakthrough levels of innovation and performance;

the best minds are those that don't think alike

In one survey of department heads and executives, 84% stated that they prefer heterogeneous teams because:

they lead to multiple viewpoints and more prolific ideas

According to the results of one study, companies that rate high on creativity and innovation have a higher percentage of:

women and nonwhite male employees than less innovative companies