Case Study C - Diversity Training

Team 'T' is a new work team; its team members have been experiencing some difficulties in accommodating the diverse needs of the group. As a consequence, it is not functioning positively or proactively as a team; work has slowed down, and relationships within the team are tense. In order to combat this, training to tackle diversity issues is required. The following issues need to be addressed through diversity-related training:

Bob - Bob has been with the company for over twenty years, he is very good at what he does but finds it hard to adapt to new situations. After a short period of time, this rights itself and Bob settles well into his work. However, on this occasion, he has developed a poor relationship with Sadik; they initially clashed over different approaches to work, and now neither of them will speak to each other unless they have to. This is making relationships fragmented within the team

Sadik - Sadik found that Bob was very traditional in his approach to work and noticed that, as a senior team member, he took on an immediate lead role to coordinate the team. Sadik did not agree with this approach; he felt that the team should use their skills equally and have a share in decision-making. They had a few disagreements and are now unable to find common ground

Bill - Bill works with Sally; they have the same work role. Sally has a flexible work hours agreement; she works four days a week and spends one day a week caring for her mother, who is disabled. Due to Sally's work arrangements, Bill has taken it upon himself to stand in for Sally when she is not there, without informing her of any developments. This makes picking up work more difficult for Sally, and she is often left out of team developments and discussions

Merindah - Merindah is new to team working; she finds team communications difficult as she takes a slower and more considered communication approach. Merindah struggles to say her piece, and the team thinks she is not interested in working with them. This is not true, Merindah doesn't show it, but she is becoming quite distressed that the team does not understand her. Culturally, she is used to taking her time in communications and often spends time thinking about work before she speaks. By the time she has thought things through, the team has moved on to other things.

1) In your opinion, what diversity training would individuals, or the team, benefit from?