This blog post focuses on the impact of having a diverse work environment.
Troy Marklin
Citation: Curşeu , Petru. L., & Pluut , Helen. (2013). Student groups as learning entities: The effect of group diversity and teamwork quality on groups’ cognitive complexity. Retrieved January 30, 2020, from https://srhe.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2011.565122?casa_token=2ZSOa7-1Y_oAAAAA:6Unp2HypvAcu4d3zcPJEpSsJPTmPMVla0qpUTanCm1Ndvg7IYyWaR4C69B8-Kwknh3shOCIJI-cLpw#.Xi3uHWhKhoU
Summary, Biases, and Relevance: This article focuses on the benefits of diversity (gender, nationality, teamwork expertise, cognition disparity) on group cognitive proficiency. This article is based on a study of 159 student groups that have their team quality measured. The aim is to establish a correlation between team composition and quality. One box that I have is I don’t feel that .com sites are as trustworthy house .org are .gov. So in this way, I feel a little uneasy with this site. Another bias this paper could have is that it set out to prove that diversity leads to better group cognition and thus was just reporting a confirmation bias in their study. However, once I dig more into the meat of the research done I’m hoping to disprove this bias. Our blog is about International marketing teams and their blind spots. this article is relevant because it touches on the ability of diversity to enhance cognitive complexity which directly relates I think to International blind spots. A team bolstered with a diverse group will be able to elevate the cognition and spot these blind spots easier than a homogeneous team. Or at least that’s what I hope to find by reading these articles.
Gunnar Lone Contribution
Citation: Holvino, E., Ferdman, B. M., & Merrill-Sands, D. (2004). Creating and sustaining diversity and inclusion in organizations: Strategies and approaches. In M. S. Stockdale & F. J. Crosby (Eds.), The psychology and management of workplace diversity (p. 245–276). Blackwell Publishing.
This particular article examines the value of organizations implementing strategies in which foster inclusive environments that focus on multiculturalism in the workplace. There can be many challenges attributed to the process of creating a more diversified workplace, and in-part this article focuses on managing those that often come about. Diversity has become a key topic in OB, and because of that articles like this describe the major differences between a multicultural environment that promotes these ideals and others that don’t. There are many parts about this reading that I really appreciated, for example the MOCD, also known as the “Multicultural organizational development model”. This simplified model illustrates basic descriptions of workplace diversity from exclusion to inclusion. However, I do question the accuracy of the information developed in this paper. The paper has the potential to form biases. Based on the fact that if you implement some of the strategies discussed, it will inherently lead to “valued goals” as stated in the article. This kind of language left the question. What will truly be the positive outcomes of shifting to this style of multicultural inclusivity in the workplace? Without doing more research into how they came to different empirical consensuses, the ideas presented were harder to get behind. Considering our blog will be focusing on blindspots in terms of international marketing teams, this article will provide relevant information for our intended purpose.
Shelby Wendel Contribution
Citation: Davis, M. W. (2018). Absence of Diversity at the Leadership Level. Journal of Practical Consulting, 6(1), 148–154. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=131505302&site=ehost-live
This article addresses some of the benefits of diversity in preventing groupthink, as well as addressing the detriment of not having a diverse work environment. While it hints that diversity without inclusiveness will not yield the desired benefits of diversity, it falls short in that it fails to address the fact that if members of a diverse team do not feel secure enough to be candid, diversity may actually increase group think. This article also doesn’t directly address the importance of having a diverse team specifically for international marketing projects, though conjectures could be made. The article is only two years old and is from a scholarly journal whose purpose it is to advise managers based on current research. The legitimacy of the citations in this article also add to its credibility and relevance. This article also seems to be free of any significant bias as its contents are supported by research and free of anecdotal evidence.
James Lee Contribution
Citation: Bouygues, H. L. (2019, April 20). The Problem Of Groupthink: How To Encourage More Independent Thinking. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/helenleebouygues/2019/04/20/the-problem-of-groupthink-how-to-encourage-more-independent-thinking/#218cfb652aeb
The focus of this article is the problems of groupthink and strategies in order to prevent it and develop independent thinking. It starts off by explaining what groupthink is and a clear example of how to help prevent it. The article then goes on about how larger groups tend to groupthink more often than smaller groups and that small teams should be arranged to help alleviate the issue. According to the article there are many solutions to avoid groupthink such as diverse ethnic and intellectual backgrounds. This kind of diversity of experience helps bring more world views to the topic at hand. The only bias in this article was that it greatly implies that groupthink has no place in the workplace and doesn’t have any benefits at all. It is an article suggesting that groupthink is better off nonexistent. This source is relevant to our topic because preventing groupthink will allow for more independent thinking. This will create less blindspots in our path towards international marketing which is extremely difficult due to the unknown waters that await across borders.
Terrance Wong Contribution
The power dynamic leadership
Citation: Kitchen, P. (2019, January 30). Power Dynamics: Why the Open Door Isn’t. Retrieved from https://diamondleadership.com/power-dynamics/
This article focuses on the power dynamic of leadership and how not understanding both scenarios leads to an undesirable environment for a newcomer. The article goes on to talk about the insider-outsider power dynamic. It states that the veteran leaders or the people who have been around the longest have all the power and set the rules to put a newcomer in a situation where they don’t feel they can say anything. According to the article it gives some insight on some solutions for leader or people in charge, to help bridge the gap between newcomers. The article comes with its fair share of biases, as it focuses solely on how leaders need to change and adapt to suit the newcomers, and not look if newcomers should adapt or not. This source is relevant to our topic so that everyone has a space where they want to be and feel comfortable, and help so that there are no misunderstandings. It will help insure that everyone can voice their opinions, and ensure a balanced power dynamic.
Contributors-
Gunnar Lone, Terrance Wong, James Lee, Shelby Wendel, Troy Marklin