Diversity, Inclusion and Team Working

Question 1

What are the different roles played by team members?

Answer 1

One of the best known models was developed by Meredith Belbin at Henley Management College. After extensive research his original model came up with eight roles essential to effective team working. A 9th role of ‘specialist’ was later added, and some roles renamed.

Belbin’s nine team roles:

Plant (creates ideas)
Resource Investigator (explores opportunities and contacts)
Co-ordinator (clarifies goals, promotes decision making)
Shaper (drives the team forward)
Teamworker (provides support and encourages cooperation)
Monitor Evaluator (discerning judgment)
Implementer (turns ideas into action)
Completer (attention to detail)
Specialist (technical knowledge and skills)

Question 2

how important is diversity in a team to a business?

Answer 2

Hiring people with different personalities and at varying stages of their career, can help businesses foster creativity and offer a range of perspectives and ideas.

Benefits

• Faster problem solving,
• Easier recruitment,
• Promotes creativity and innovation
• Increases skill and knowledge sharing
• Boosts productivity
• Understand customers better

Question 3

What are inclusive communications?

Answer 3

Inclusive communication is an approach to communication which enables as many people as possible to be included in that interaction.

This approach:

Recognises that all human beings use many ways of understanding and expressing themselves.
Encourages, supports and enables people to use whatever ways of understanding and expressing themselves which they find easiest.

Question 4

How does partnering and collaborative working affect a team?

Answer 4

Collaboration improves the way your team works together and problem solves. This leads to more innovation, efficient processes, increased success, and improved communication. Through listening to and learning from team members, you can help each other reach your goals.

The Benefits:
Division of labour.
Creative contributions.
Problem solving.
Feelings of appreciation.

The Challenges: 
No team governance.
Lack of transparency.
Competition.
Poor engagement.

Question 5

What is supply chain management and how does it work?

Answer 5

Supply chain management is the handling of the entire production flow of a good or service — starting from the raw components all the way to delivering the final product to the consumer.

There are 5 key components;

Planning - Plan and manage all resources required to meet customer demand for a company’s product or service. When the supply chain is established, determine metrics to measure whether the supply chain is efficient, effective, delivers value to customers and meets company goals.
Sourcing - Choose suppliers to provide the goods and services needed to create the product. Then, establish processes to monitor and manage supplier relationships. Key processes include: ordering, receiving, managing inventory and authorizing supplier payments.
Manufacturing - Organize the activities required to accept raw materials, manufacture the product, test for quality, package for shipping and schedule for delivery.
Delivery and Logistics - Coordinate customer orders, schedule deliveries, dispatch loads, invoice customers and receive payments.
Returning - Create a network or process to take back defective, excess or unwanted products.

Effective supply chain management systems minimize cost, waste and time in the production cycle. The industry standard has become a just-in-time supply chain where retail sales automatically signal replenishment orders to manufacturers. Retail shelves can then be restocked almost as quickly as product is sold.

Question 6

What is unconscious bias?

Answer 6

Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness.

Arcadis has held training in 2021 that focusses around conscious and unconscious bias.

Question 7

What are the Arcadis diversity and inclusion policies? including non-discrimination and anti-harassment in the workplace?

Answer 7

Arcadis set up a Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee to spearhead activities encouraging Arcadians to be themselves, reach their full potential and use their unique experience and background to create a positive and inclusive work environment for our people, company, clients and community. The committee meets regularly to share ideas and implement the regional D&I plan as part of the company’s regional People Strategy.

Arcadis were voted one of the top 10 inclusive workplaces for LGBT+ in the UK.

Question 8

What is the Delphi method?

Answer 8

The Delphi technique is a group communication method where a panel of experts arrive at a consensus over a series of questions and discussions. It is used for estimating or forecasting.

Question 9

What is a Strategic Alliance?

Answer 9

A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more parties to pursue a set of agreed upon objectives needed while remaining independent organisations.

Question 10

What is the RACI matrix?

Answer 10

The RACI model brings structure and clarity to describing the roles that stakeholders play within a project.

Responsible - People or stakeholders who do the work.

Accountable - Person or stakeholder who is the “owner” of the work. Sign it off

Consulted - People who input knowledge

Informed - People who need to be kept in the picture

Question 11

What formal communication processes are used within your team?

Answer 11

• Emails
• Meetings
• Notices
• Reports

Question 12

What are formal communication processes?

Answer 12

Formal communication is communication through pre-defined channels set by organizations. They are typically conveyed from top leadership to various departments that funnels down to lower level employees

Question 13

How would you go about recruitment for your team?

Answer 13

• Firstly, I would identify the skill gaps, and the level of competency and skill required to fill the gaps.
• I would then look internally, to see if there was an appropriate individual within the team already.
• If not, I would advertise the position.

Question 14

What is the Latham Report – Constructing the Team 1994?

Answer 14

A report commissioned by the UK Government, to looking into the apparent failings of the construction industry as a whole.

Question 15

What were the Findings of the Latham Report?

Answer 15

The report described the industry as ineffective, adversarial, fragmented and incapable of delivering for it’s clients.

Its recommendations were:
• That the Government should become a best practice client.
• That the NEC suite of contracts be adopted to improve a less adversarial approach.
• Encouraged Partnering between companies and organisations.
• Risk should be allocated to the party best able to handle it.