Diversity, Inclusion and Teamworking

Question 1

What is workplace diversity?

Answer 1

• Company hires wide range of diverse individuals
• Acceptance and inclusion of employees of all backgrounds - acknowledges employee individual strengths and potential
• Often misconceived as solely multicultural matters, though it also applies to diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexuality, language, educational background

Question 2

Why is diversity important within the workplace?

Answer 2

• Brings different perspectives to the company
• This helps calibrate, refine, define company executions and services

Question 3

Advantages of a diverse team?

Answer 3

• Different ideas and new ways of thinking
• Bring different experiences to the table, cultural awareness
• Adds to employer brand and company culture - positive reputation
• Increased productivity - broader range of skills and perspectives

Question 4

What is inclusion in the workplace?

Answer 4

Work environment where all individuals treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, contributing fully to organisation’s success

Question 5

Difference between diversity and inclusion?

Answer 5

• Diversity - characteristics that make us all different
• Inclusion - making everyone feel welcome

Question 6

What is meant by unconscious bias?

Answer 6

• Underlying attitudes and stereotypes that people unconsciously attribute to another person / group of people that affect how they understand and engage with them
• These can contribute to a lack of workplace diversity

Question 7

What does equal opportunity mean?

Answer 7

Everyone has equal chance to take up opportunities and to make full use of opportunities on offer and to fulfill potential

Question 8

What is meant by teamwork?

Answer 8

• Cooperative effort by group of people to achieve common goal
• People understand and believe that thinking, planning, decisions and actions are better when done cooperatively

Question 9

Give some examples of teams?

Answer 9

• Office
• Project
• Accounts
• Design

Question 10

What makes a good/effective team?

Answer 10

• Common sense of purpose
• Clear understanding of team objectives
• Resources to achieve objectives
• Mutual respect and trust
• Value member strengths and weaknesses
• Willingness to speak openly, share knowledge and expertise
• Range of skills and personal styles for various roles

Question 11

What are the benefits of teamworking?

Answer 11

• Shared workload
• Improved productivity, quality, customer focus
• Speed up development of solutions
• Increase employee motivation
• Utilise different skillsets

Question 12

Difference between team and committee?

Answer 12

• Committee - body of people appointed for a function
• Team - group of people aiming for a common goal in good spirit

Question 13

How would you go about selecting the right people to join your team?

Answer 13

• Understand the task, identify skills and experience available and required
• Select new team members to fill shortfall, dynamics of existing team should be considered to ensure new people ‘fit’ with existing

Question 14

How would you deal with an inexperienced team member?

Answer 14

• Encouragement and motivation
• Draw up plan to strengthen areas of weakness
• Constructive feedback and offer support where needed

Question 15

How do you promote open discussions within your team?

Answer 15

• Create calm, relaxed environment during meetings/workshops - make people feel welcome, significant, at ease
• ‘no silly questions / answers’ culture
• Encourage involvement from all parties - do ‘round the table’ discussion for key topic points

Question 16

Why might a team fail?

Answer 16

• Poor team member selection
• Inadequate skills, resource, conflicting personalities, poor leadership

Question 17

Theoretical models relating to teams and how they operate?

Answer 17

• Tuckman’s theory - focuses on way in which team tackles task from initial team formation to project completion

1. Forming (assembly of team)
2. Storming (suggesting ideas to address task)
3. Norming (agreeing rules and values of operation)
4. Performing (independence, motivation, knowledge, competence)
5. Adjourning / Transforming (end of project and break up of team -team can return to any phase)

Question 18

What is the Herzberg theory?

Answer 18

Frederick Herzberg - 2 factor motivational theory based on hygiene and motivational factors:
1. Workers encouraged to work harder based on motivational factors (empowerment, job enlargement and enrichment)
2. Workers can become demotivated if hygiene factors not met (remuneration, comfortable working conditions, annual leave entitlement)

Question 19

Difference between leadership and management in teamwork?

Answer 19

• Leadership - setting new direction / vision for a group, leader is spearhead for new direction
• Management - controls / directs people in group according to principles/values already established

Question 20

What is meant by team dynamics in the workplace?

Answer 20

• Describes behavioural relationships between group members
• Includes how they interact, communicate, cooperate with one another

Question 21

How can you improve team dynamics?

Answer 21

• Know your team, understand what motivates them
• Focus attention
• Tackle problems quickly, with positive feedback
• Define roles and responsibilities
• Break down barriers, clear communication
• Empowerment

Question 22

When have you demonstrated teamworking?

Answer 22

Depends on personal experience:
- Utilise team strengths and weaknesses
- Harnessing expertise of specialist within the team
- Look at problems the team overcame
- Explain how team decided on a strategy, end outcome
- Explain communication and working towards a common goal

Question 23

Related documents to teamworking?

Answer 23

RACI Matrix table

Question 24

What test can you carry out to assess suitability for a team?

Answer 24

Myers Briggs test - analysis of personality