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Diversity offers a number of benefits and this also applies to teams and work groups. While managers frequently strive to have as solid a team as possible and often subconsciously choose subordinates who are extremely similar to themselves, truly effective teams are in fact characterised by a high level of diversity, be it in opinions, attitudes or age. Here are some good reasons why diversity in a team is important.
As the INSEAD Knowledge website notes, diversity of opinion plays an important role in the internal functioning of a team. If all team members thought the same way and always had the same opinions, many good ideas would remain hidden, many innovations would not be tried, and someone whose different opinions foster constructive debate would be missing.
With a variety of approaches, different working styles and different focuses, team members are better prepared to face potential challenges. Since they have a range of experience and diverse skills, they become more flexible in the aggregate.
Age diversity and representation of different generations in the team allows employees to pass on experience and specific know-how to one another. If you have both the older and younger generation represented in the team and you let these age groups work together on a project, they can learn a lot from each other. By doing so, they also help to retain key know-how within your team.
If you, as a team (or even as a company), show that your door is open to all genders, all age groups and all ethnicities, you will significantly expand your options when seeking new talent. You will have the chance to reach top talent from demographic groups that otherwise might not be represented on your team, meaning members of these groups might then wonder whether it is a good idea to become part of the team at all.
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