Strategies for making differences in work teams an asset, not a liability are provided in this practical guide. Team members are helped to understand and make the most of their differences and to overcome barriers to achievement that are sometimes the result of diversity. More than 50 worksheets provide teams, team leaders, trainers, and consultants with processes, guidance, and tools to learn how to diversify groups while building relationships. An appendix provides an annotated list of resources, including books, training activities, and videos that are helpful in developing group members and training team leaders.

Strategies for making differences in work teams an asset, not a liability are provided in this practical guide. Team members are helped to understand and make the most of their differences and to overcome barriers to achievement that are sometimes the result of diversity. More than 50 worksheets provide teams, team leaders, trainers, and consultants with processes, guidance, and tools to learn how to diversify groups while building relationships. An appendix provides an annotated list of resources, including books, training activities, and videos that are helpful in developing group members and training team leaders.

A book about how businesses and other organizations can improve their performance by tapping the power of differences in how people think. What if workforce diversity is more than simply the right thing to do? What if it can also improve the bottom line? Because it can. The autuor presents overwhelming evidence: teams that include different kinds of thinkers outperform homogenous groups on complex tasks, producing what he calls diversity bonuses. These bonuses include improved problem solving, increased innovation, and more accurate predictions - all of which lead to better results. Drawing on research in economics, psychology, computer science, and many other fields, the book also tells the stories of businesses and organizations that have tapped the power of diversity to solve complex problems. The result changes the way we think about diversity at work-and far beyond

Building Trust in Diverse Teams supports humanitarian practitioners, human-resource departments and regional and head-office emergency professionals as they improve team effectiveness during an emergency and ultimately improve their ability to save lives.

If you're in a diverse team, you know employee differences can cause miscommunication, lower trust, and hurt productivity. . . It doesn't have to be this way! The people you work with may be from a different generation, different culture, different race, different gender, or just a different philosophy toward work and life in general, but you need to work together toward a common goal. How to Work With and Lead People Not Like You explains how to dial down the differences, smooth out the friction, and play upon each other's strengths to become more effective, more productive, and less stressed. The keys are to find the common ground and identify hidden conflicts that are hurting productivity. Many people shudder at the prospect of working with diverse groups of people, but they can't voice their fear or anxiety. At work, it's not OK or politically correct to say, 'I'm uncomfortable with this person.' In fact, if you do say something along those lines, your job may be at risk. Your company may terminate you for not being on the 'diversity bandwagon.' So you keep quiet and you keep your thoughts to yourself. But deep down, you are uncomfortable. If you feel like this, it doesn't mean you're racist, sexist, ageist, homophobic, or any other negative label. It means you're struggling. You're struggling to understand people, cultures, or values that are unfamiliar to you. You're struggling to do your job with teammates and coworkers who may have very different viewpoints or different approaches to communication than you have. You're struggling to overcome differences and pull together to achieve high performance at work. Whether you're leading a diverse team, working in a challenging cross-cultural environment, or simply working with people who are 'not like you,' you need to be able to get along with everyone as a team, to get the work done. This book explains the skills you need to communicate, motivate, and inspire people to collaborate—even if they have very different values, lifestyles, or priorities. Learn key steps that bring cohesion to diversity How to have a constructive conversation about working alongside people who are different The four magic words that make this easier and smooth over friction What not to say—and why Learn to set aside differences and get things done Learn how to handle a racist, sexist, homophobic or offensive remark in a professional way Retain your sanity when colleagues drive you crazy The changing demographics of today's workforce bring conflicting viewpoints, perspectives, approaches, skills, habits, and personalities together in one place; whether that leads to synergy or catastrophe is up to you. How to Work With and Lead People Not Like You helps you turn a hurdle into an advantage so you or your team can do more, achieve more, and enjoy the ride.

Originally published as: The Medici effect: breakthrough insights at the intersection of ideas, concepts, and cultures. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press, A2004.

World-renowned anthropologist Edward T. Hall and his wife Mildred Reed Hall have written a fascinating examination of the unstated rules of Japanese-American business relations. Hidden Differences identifies the major cultural patterns which could be potential problems for American business executives and helps them to avoid the hidden traps of intercultural communication.

Today’s board rooms, think tanks, and staff lounges are more diverse than ever before. These cultural differences can either lead to gridlock among stubborn, single-minded thinkers or they can catalyze innovation and growth among an expansive team of creative, distinctive individuals. Diverse teams are far more creative than homogenous teams--but only when they are managed effectively. Driven by Difference identifies the management practices necessary to minimize conflict while maximizing the informational diversity found in varied values and experiences. Drawing on the cultural intelligence, or CQ, of diversity success stories from Google, Alibaba, Novartis, and other groundbreaking companies, this must-have resource teaches managers of diverse groups how to: Create an optimal environment Consider the various audiences when selecting and selling an idea Design and test for different users Fuse differing perspectives Align goals and expectations New perspectives and talents have joined your company’s ranks in recent years. Are you seeing the increased innovation and success that should be resulting from such diversity?

The highly practical self-help guide to optimize the performance of individuals working in an intercultural environment. Readers will learn how to mitigate unconscious bias to create inclusive organizations and how to use key cultural dimensions to communicate and cooperate in intercultural teams. Addressing the unique challenges of influencing across cultures and managing international projects, this is an indispensable toolkit for a key competence in business. Bridge The Culture Gaps provides readers with a framework for developing key skills essential for effective global collaboration in the VUCA world. These include reflecting on experience, understanding the nature and impact of culture and the importance of diversity for business success. Readers learn how to mitigate unconscious bias to create inclusive organizations, and to use key cultural dimensions to communicate and cooperate in intercultural teams. It addresses the challenges of leading diverse teams, influencing across cultures and managing international transformation projects, as well as making international assignments successful.