Discussion 1: Managing Diverse Teams (one page)
For the last half-century, the workforce in the United States has been undergoing tremendous demographic changes. For example, in 2009 women accounted for almost 48% of American workforce, compared to 37% in 1970 (Barsh & Yee, 2011). Additionally, workers under the age of 44, and those most likely to be in school, college, or professional training, are more ethnically and racially diverse than ever before (Policy Alert, 2005). This is only diversity of gender, race, and ethnicity; consider how managers today must also lead increasingly diverse teams in terms of age, experience, nationality, geographic location, and even diversity of thinking styles. Contemporary businesses draw employees from a more diverse pool of talent than ever before. To be successful, top managers must understand how to develop and lead diverse teams.
Managing a group composed of individuals with unique cultures, backgrounds, personalities, and abilities can be a daunting task. As a manager, it is your responsibility to ensure that team and group interactions are successful. As you review the Learning Resources this week to prepare for your Discussion posting, think about how you define diversity and diversity affects teams. Pay particular attention to the media resource, “Will Differences Doom the Team,” which presents some of the challenges managers face when leading a diverse team, and consider the key competencies managers must possess to effectively manage a diverse team. As you prepare for your post, consider what diversity means for you and how the diversity you have encountered in your professional experience have impacted how the team functions.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post your response that includes the following:
- Explain the types of diversity you have encountered in your professional experience and the challenges that each type of diversity posed to a team’s performance. Include in your explanation how a manager can leverage a team’s diversity to improve its performance.
- Explain the challenges posed by managing, and working within, a diverse team. In your explanation, include how managers should motivate individuals within a diverse team environment who are likely to have differing, and at times, clashing priorities.
Discussion 2: Shared Practice: Managing Teams in a Virtual Environment (one page)
The internet age now allows you to connect to work from virtually anywhere in the world. However, managing a team of remote employees presents unique challenges. Monitoring, communicating, organizing, and motivating remote employees and coworkers can be difficult, even with available technology that helps remote employees meet and collaborate in virtual spaces. As you review the Learning Resources this week to prepare for your Shared Practice posting, imagine the following scenario:
At your current employer, or at a company where you would like to work, you have been assigned to manage a virtual team. Your virtual team is composed of some individuals in the office, some that work from home in various time zones, and some others that work out of another office several time zones away. Consider the challenges of managing virtual employees and how these challenges compare to managing a traditional “non-virtual” team.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post a response that addresses the following:
- Explain benefits and challenges that a manager has when developing, leading, and motivating virtual teams and how those challenges are unique to virtual teams.
- Explain which of the challenges you identified that need to be addressed directly by a manager, and which challenges should managers empower or allow the team to address.
- Describe how you would meet the challenges and contribute to the virtual team if you are assigned to manage the team. Be sure to identify obstacles you think you would have and how would you address them.
