Diversity, inclusion and teamworking

Question 1

What makes an effective team?

Answer 1

• Have the required skills and capabilities for the task at hand
• Have a variety of backgrounds and ways of thinking to add diversity to consideration of problems and to add to ways of thinking
• Leads to a more informed decision making process and improved results
• Good communication skills

Question 2

Are you aware of any teamwork theories?

Answer 2

Tuckman theory

Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing

Question 3

How can you ensure teams work effectively?

Answer 3

• Have the required skills and capabilities for the task at hand
• Have the appropriate resources
• Have a clear brief
• Have a clear communication process established

Question 4

How can a team be effectively motivated?

Answer 4

Shared objectives and goals.
Open, dynamic communication.
Opportunities for growth and learning .

Question 5

What is the RICS Inclusive Employer Initiative?

Answer 5

In 2015 RICS launched the Inclusive Employer Quality Mark (IEQM) as a response to the sector being behind other professions in moving towards a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

The IEQM is based on 4 clear, key principles:
1. Leadership - demonstrable commitment at the highest level to increasing the diversity of the workforce

2. Recruitment - engage and attract new people to the industry from under-represented groups; best practice recruitment methods
3. Culture - an inclusive culture where all staff engage with developing, delivering, monitoring and assessing diversity and inclusivity
4. Development - training and promotion policies that offer equal access to career progression to all members of the workforce

Question 6

Thinking about diversity and inclusion what thought process would you go through to select a team for a project?

Answer 6

• Wide range of skills
• Good communicators
• Capable individuals
• Range of experiences and knowledge to contribute to diverse problem solving

Question 7

What is RICS’s stance on diversity and inclusion?

Answer 7

RICS has stated that the surveying profession needs a diverse workforce in order to utilise the innovative skills and technologies required by consumers in the built environment.

The Inclusive Employer Equality Mark is a response to the sector striving to move towards a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

Question 8

How would you deal with a team member who is causing issues within the team?

Answer 8

Take the person aside and listen to their perspective
Identify if there is something that can be done to support the person.

Question 9

What current challenges is Covid and/or Brexit bringing to Diversity, Inclusion and Teamworking?

Answer 9

Dispersed team working has often come with challenges over communication. For example, not everyone is training on how to use online data management tools (eg. Aconex).

Question 9

You mention unconscious bias, explain as a team leader how you would assess this and deal with it as often people don’t even realise they have a bias?

Answer 9

Unconscious or implicit bias refers to the associations that are made between different qualities and social categories such race, gender or disability and are judgements that are made without conscious awareness. These automatic preferences or stereotypes are a major contributor to a lack of workplace diversity

Be First has mandatory training on unconscious bias annually.

In addition, Be First has a diversity and inclusion board which can provide support and training.