Cultural Diversity in Working Teams
Cultural Diversity in Working Teams

Author(s): Yvona Kaňovská, Klára Strašáková, Lenka Janošová
Subject(s): Sociology of Culture, Human Resources in Economy
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: cultural diversity; team effectiveness; team performance; team influence;
Summary/Abstract: With ever-increasing globalization and new trends in the labor market, we are increasingly confronted with teams that are not homogeneous, whether this heterogeneity is based on a different gender, age, nationality or race. This paper focuses on cultural diversity, as due to the openness of the Czech economy and the high share of foreign capital, Czech managers must face culturally diverse teams more often at the workplace. It is also necessary to adapt the style of leadership and communication to exploit the potential of cultural diversity. Although some authors deny the existence of a relationship between diversity and team performance, most authors agree that diversity enhances the competitiveness of a company and assists in increasing the firm’s value. On the other hand, however, authors admit that diverse teams face several problems, which if not solved, can end up harming the business. The aim of this article is to present studies on cultural diversity using a systematic literary review and to help answer the question of whether cultural diversity affects the effectiveness and performance of teams and, if so, whether it is a positive or negative influence, and what factors have an impact on it.

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