Supernova Advisor Teams

CHAPTER 16Diverse Teams and Niche Markets

“Strengths lie in differences, not in similarities.”

—Stephen R. Covey

There is a compelling case to be made for the formation, development, and leadership of diverse teams. Considering the global trends; tough competition; more complex regulatory environment; and cross‐border, cross‐cultural geographic dispersed operations, there becomes a need to think about diverse teams in a unique way. Diverse teams must become more of “the norm” at all levels of organizations. Diversity can be defined as anything that isn't homogeneous – gender, age, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or cultural groups. It can even include physical disabilities.¹

Some of the teams may have members who have joined and have had an opportunity to learn a language, or may even have some international experience. Education, industry, and work experience all contribute to the different perspectives that can help engage teams as they look to grow market share in various parts of the country and the world. I live in the San Francisco Bay area. More than 112 different languages are spoken here, and 45% of all San Francisco residents do not speak English at home.²

Much of the research shows that diversity results in better performance.³ When people of diverse backgrounds approach complex decisions, they can approach a problem from a variety of experiences – and especially when you look at the challenges that are faced by global firms. Diversity has ...