Managing Research, Development, and Innovation: Managing the Unmanageable, Third Edition

7.7. A MODEL FOR DIVERSITY IN GROUPS

Figure 7.1 shows a model that summarizes the factors that increase or decrease the effectiveness of relationships in work groups. Multicultural teams have a wealth of material to create innovative approaches to complex organizational challenges, and a broad range of operating models with which to develop new ways of implementing solutions. Creating successful multicultural teams requires us to tap into the key idea of "perceived similarity." As we noted earlier, we are wired to prefer similarity. Similarity is rewarding and leads to attraction. Perceived similarity decreases where there is a large cultural distance and when there is a history of conflict between groups or individuals (the events in the former ...