The effect of cultural diversity on team work in the postgraduate school of the Chester Business School
Authors
Fadeyi, OluwafisayoAdvisors
Webb, PaulPublication Date
2010
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The research examines the effect of cultural diversity on team performance. The research presents the findings of a study on team work in the postgraduate class of the Chester Business School. The study examines the concept of team work and cultural diversity. Team working is increasingly being used by many organisations to improve employee performance. To be effective, a team should comprise the right number of people with the right skill, knowledge and expertise. On the other hand cultural diversity in a broad sense refers to the variety of human culture in the world. However, in the context of this study, cultural diversity means that the people have a different way of viewing the world and how it operates and this difference affects every aspect of their life. Culture provides a selective screen between man and the outside world. Culture determines what we pay attention to and what we are most likely to ignore. Merely putting people from different cultural background together in teams does not guarantee that the team will function effectively. How well these people will work together remains a major concern. From the study it was concluded that there is an indirect relationship between the cultural background of the members of a team and the team’s performance. The study also found out that while the cultural background of each member of the team influences how they learn, what they learn and how knowledge is shared; education, work experience, life experience and personal aspiration provide the platform and drive to learn. All these factors work together to influence the participation and contribution of each individual team member in the team’s activity. It was also noted that what makes a team perform better than another team is not determined solely by the cultural background of the team members. Other factors, internal or external also influence team performance.Publisher
University of ChesterType
Thesis or dissertationLanguage
enCollections
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