Understanding the Influence of Power for Leaders and Managers when Forming Diverse and Inclusive Teams as part of Job Design

The term Diversity and Inclusion is a popular subject within the modern corporate world which increasingly plays an important role when designing teams for individuals who have significant power within an organization. According to (Whatishumanresource.com, n.d.), through job design, organizations can raise productivity through the offering of non-monetary rewards such as personal achievement satisfaction against the increasingly challenging and responsibilities of work. This implies that job design can assist in overcoming the gaps certain companies may have with regards to reaching their diversity and inclusion goals. As per, (Forrester, 2022), many design teams struggle with the approach to diversity and inclusion and the lack of best practices in creating and managing teams which have been formed around values. In addition, (Nir, 2020), states that industries such as the tech industry have been criticized for the lack of workforce diversity where there are several communities being underrepresented in technical and executive roles within the industry. The afore goes to show how not only in organizations, but some industries as a whole have lack of diverse representation in their workforce which is seen as a negative in the modern world and calls for change.

Insight into the Potential Influence of Power on Organizational Diversity and Inclusion

According to (Vulpen, n.d.), diversity is focusing on having employees coming from different backgrounds being race, gender, religion whilst inclusion focuses on making everyone feeling comfortable. (Hakovirta et al., 2023), denotes that diversity plays an important role in companies working towards expanding to international markets and serving cosmopolitan populations. This furthur adds to the notion that in order for oragbaizations to expand their markets globally, by having a diverse workforce, the chances of them being able to relate more with their markets incraese. As such, it is important to understand the levels of diversity which are intergrated into an oragntiaztion such as:

·       Cross functional representation- As per (Cooks-Campbell, 2023), this the first level of diversity where for instance it becomes problematic if only a specific representation in only present across functions. For instance, if everyone in the company belongs to one specific religion or race whilst there are no to very little representation from other religions or races which depicts an unappealing image of the company.

·       Gender and Racial diversity- According to (Cooks-Campbell, 2023), this is where the team is tasked on developing a product for a national market. 

·       Socioeconomic diversity- (Cooks-Campbell, 2023), denotes that this is where in many professional situations, the individuals are seen to have similar income, economic security which leads to the loss of value, pricing, perspective, and relevance.

·       Educational background diversity- Through (Cooks-Campbell, 2023), it is noted that assessing if everyone has come from the same one or two schools or even if anyone has worked their way up through community college or another other manner.

·       Work experience- (Cooks-Campbell, 2023), denotes that this is the largest issue in firms who have very structured career tracks.

·       Location/background- (Cooks-Campbell, 2023), highlights that different groups who come from different geographies are important even if they are from different parts of the same country.

According to (Hakovirta et al., 2023), diversity has strong relations with the culture of an organization where the influence through leadership and opinions along with influence how orgnaizations conduct business. (Ashikali, Groeneveld and Kuipers, 2020), states that diverse teams are considered insiders as opposed to outsiders of a group which boosts the feeling of belongingness. This implies that when individuals are part of a diverse group or team, they have a sense of belonging due to their representation being present within the organizational environment.

Further, (Cooks-Campbell, 2023), denotes that when leaders and managers know how to draw out diverse perspectives and build on all available perspectives to their team, better ideas, assumptions, blind spots are identified, and new approaches are developed which creates better solutions as innovation, growth and performance are depicted as a result. Hence, a specific type of leadership would assist organizations in achieving their inclusion goals such as the inclusive leadership style. As per (Ashikali, Groeneveld and Kuipers, 2020), inclusive leadership is focused upon creating a safe environment within a diverse setting in which all team members are given the opportunity to be themselves. In keeping with, (Ashikali, Groeneveld and Kuipers, 2020), inclusive leaders are known for sustaining a climate which is open to differences and in turn values the differences whilst promoting openess to diversity and attenuating the negative of intergroup bias. This style of leadership hence, fosters a positivly diverse community within the orgnaization.

Through (Wood, 2023), it is noted that leaders are seen as the gatekeepers for promotions where they make decisions which are influenced through unconscious biases which in turn have a ripple effect on culture. The afore begins to draw a relationship between power and the effect of the leadership style on the culture nurtured within the organisation. As per (Ziemianski, 2022), power is a central of management and hence managers are given power as it is necessary to introduce change, exert influence, turn visions to reality and ensure to complete tasks and reach organizational goals. (Park, 2019), further states that power is a crucial element in organizations with the ability for it to influence the decisions being made, inventions and the behaviours of the company. As per (M Libraries, n.d.), having power and utilizing power are two different things. Ie: a manger has the power to punish and reward employees enables employees to follow requests eventhough the managers actually does not reward the employee. The afore displays that idividuals such as managers have sources of power depending on their standing within the organiaztion and may utilize any source of power to help create a more diverse workforce which helps when craeting teams utlimately.

Firstly, (M Libraries, n.d.), notifies of six sources of power being identified: rewrad, expert, coercive, legitimate, referent and information where one may gain power through one or all six sources of power depending on the situation.

      •        Reward  Power- is the ability to give others what they want

•        Coercive Power – usining force to make others do something.

•        Referent Power  –  having certain desirable attributes which makes individuals wish to refer to leaders.

•        Legitimate Power – derived from the position or hierachical authority within an organization.

•        Expert Power – having an expertise that others want to use.

•        Information Power- the ability for someone to access information readily

According to (Park, 2019), power can be segregated into two types of: coercive power (reward, legitimate, coercive) and non-coercive power (reference, expert, information). In keeping with (Park, 2019), one notes that coercion, legitimate and reward power occur when it is seen to be difficult for certain goals to be achieved due to the maintenance of a favourable relationship with the counterpart being impossible. (Park, 2019), further adds that reference, information and expert power occur due to the attractiveness of the counterpart’s personal magnetism through their work performance. When organization employees have a good relationship with their supervisors there are higher chances of better performance due to the additional support and opportunities provided by the supervisors. In the context of forming diverse teams, it is important for the managers to identify which sources of power should be best used when managing diverse teams.

 

 

Figure 1: Segregation of the types of power (Park, 2019)

 

Identifying the Stages of Team Formation

According to (Samad et al., 2023), due to the complexity of the modern world, the rate at which challenges and changes have on groups have significantly increased when coming together and operating which makes utilizing a specific model helps organizations in the afore task. As per (Moyo, 2023), Tuckman’s model suggests that group development occur in the form of stages such as forming, storming, norming, performing with the highlighting of the emergence of individual and group issues when teams are formed. When purring together individuals with diverse backgrounds together to form teams, managers and leaders will encounter different aspects at each stage of the model.

1.     Forming - (Samad et al., 2023), notes that forming is where team members begin to discuss work. As per (Jones, 2020), forming, is the first stage of the Tuckman`s model where interpersonal skills and behaviour is measured through the interaction between individuals. When interacting with one another, it could either create harmony and success amongst team members, or simply lead to failure in achieving desirable outcomes.

2.     Stroming- (Samad et al., 2023), states that storming is where conflicts between team members begin to arise with opposing views being voiced and them trying to prove their point of views. This could be due to different levels of diversity such as the individuals may have different educational backgrounds and may not agree with one another on certain things due to their diversity in education within the team. However, (Jones, 2020), further states that storming is in association with emotions and behaviour where conflicts can arise as individuals try to understand one another and familiarize themselves amongst each other.

3.     Norming- As per (Samad et al., 2023), norming is where team members are engaged in completing projects. (Jones, 2020), states that norming is where team members begin to accept one another’s suggestions, inputs, or opinions. Due to diverse perspectives being present, team members will try looking at things from their peer’s view in order to try understanding what they are communicating.

4.     Performing- (Samad et al., 2023), notifies that performing is where team members submit their work, and it is declared that the task or project has been completed. Further (Jones, 2020), states that performing is where negotiation within individuals within a team begin in order to try coming up with a win-win situation. Further, this is also the stage in which implementation takes place where flexibility, functionality and performance are assessed amongst each other.

5.     Adjourning- (Jones, 2020), notes that adjourning is where the focal point in team development is, where things are taken to the next level post the desired goals are being achieved or the objectives have been achieved for a specific task. This is noted to be the stage where organizations restructure. This could also be the instance where managers and leaders in an organization can start assessing the challenges and benefits of the diverse teams and better prepare to matching the right set of diverse individuals to certain projects.

 

According to (Moyo, 2023), diverse types of teams and the complexity of them which include cultural factors and contextual factors can denote that the team processes and learning do not develop in a sequential order from one stage to another. This implies that when forming teams, it does not necessarily imply that the directional flow of the model will be followed. For instance, if the individuals know one another or have worked on a previous engagement, they will skip the forming stage and move to the storming stage wit regards to completing the task.

Manners in which Managers, Supervisors and Leaders can Foster an Inclusive and Diverse Workforce when Forming Teams

Clearer job descriptions being created-(Authentic Jobs, 2023), states that job postings needed be free of biased language along with a clarity of the requirements and expectations in order to attract and create a diverse pool of applicants. (Role Mapper Team, 2021), furthur states that creating inclusive jobs results in motivation, diverse workforce and is inspirational with the key steps that go through design being to create job descriptions and job adverts which make an impact.

Diverse interview panels- (Authentic Jobs, 2023), notes that when interviewing including various team members in the process is beneficial in order to minimize biases as different individuals are providing different perspectives during evaluation and selection. Furthermore, (PushFar, n.d.), states that creating inclusive hiring processing for remote working require intentional effort which involves developing strategies which combat biases such as blind resume reviews and structured interviews. This implies that various interview methods needed be assessed to the candidate as they may be working virtually and may have collaborates through hybrid arrangements as well.

Diverse recruitment channels- As per (Authentic Jobs, 2023), utilizing different platforms to reach out to a broader audience to target diverse communities to get talent from various backgrounds. (PushFar, n.d.), states that building a divers talent pipeline requires reaching out to underrepresented groups in order to provide equitable opportunities. This further provides the opportunity for managers and leaders to recruit individuals according to their level of of diversity which they see is required due to their legitimate power.

Implementation of blind recruitment practices-(Authentic Jobs, 2023), notes that to remove personal information which may lead to biasness and instead focus on experiences and skills. This would eliminate any biases made any race, gender or background and the individual will be solely recruited based on their work.

Developing diversity goals- As per (Authentic Jobs, 2023), setting clear and measurable targets for diversity help guide recruitment.(Whatishumanresource.com, n.d.), states that aligning with the company`s ethos is of importance as if not they would not feel part of the team when working towards the same goal.

Promoting inclusivity by employer branding- (Authentic Jobs, 2023), displays that organizations commitment to diversity through the utilization of marketing material. This implies that the marketing of any recruitments of individuals prior to allocating them to a team need to made appealing for diverse crowds to apply.

Offering trainings- According to (Authentic Jobs, 2023), conducting workshops regularly on topics such as cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity which can focus on understanding different cultures and enhance collaboration within teams. When forming diverse teams, managers and supervisors need to take extra initiatives to educate their members on one another’s cultures through their information power.

Promoting open communication –  (Authentic Jobs, 2023), encourages dialogues regarding inclusion and diversity and have open conversation which can build trust and create a supportive environment. (Authentic Jobs, 2023), furthur adds that diverse perspectives foster innovative and creative ideas which allows for out of the box thinking and idea generation.

Celebrating cultural differences- (Authentic Jobs, 2023), portrays that recognizing and celebrating cultural differences through practices and traditions which enrich the workplace culture is of importance. As per (Forrester, 2022), having inclusive and diverse teams brings about benefits for the organization as a whole as these teams are betters at recognizing exclusions, being innovative and attracting and retaining top talent.

Providing mentorship- (Authentic Jobs, 2023), states that by pairing diverse team members together would foster understanding and help in career development. Diverse teams are an opportunity for team members to learn form one another which further covers the adjourning stage of Tuckman’s model.

Creating polices for diversity and inclusion - As per (Authentic Jobs, 2023), formalizing the commitment to diversity by setting clear expectations for everyone should be done through the company policies.

Encouraging the formation of employee resource groups- (Authentic Jobs, 2023), notes that forums should be created to help connect and support employees. Forums could help diverse team members to share their experiences and foster better relationships which could be beneficial for when they begin working together on projects or tasks. (Ray, n.d.), adds that supervisors can support teamwork through providing employees the information needed to effectively get the work done. For an autonomous approach, supervisors should be eliminated, and a team representative should directly report to them as the team would own the work.

Monitoring regular progress- According to (Authentic Jobs, 2023), it is important to track the effectiveness of the diversity initiatives taken in order to ensure there is continuous improvement. (Ray, n.d.), notes that the role of the supervisors and their importance needed be highlighted when designing teams as supervisors play a direct role in each of the individual `s performance.

 

Overall, one needed understand the influence power many have team formation especially if they are diverse in nature which can be noted to be a part of job design which in this case should be done from managers, supervisors and leaders of organizations. Hence, leaders needed assess which tactics would attract and retain their diverse workforce and must utilize their power strategically when forming teams.

 

References

Cooks-Campbell, A., 2023. What diversity really means, and why it’s crucial in the workplace. [Online]
Available at: https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-diversity-really-means-and-why-its-crucial-in-the-workplace
[Accessed 12 December 2023].

Forrester, 2022. How To Build Inclusive And Diverse Design Teams — And Why That Matters. [Online]
Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forrester/2022/04/01/how-to-build-inclusive-and-diverse-design-teams---and-why-that-matters/amp/
[Accessed 12 December 2023].

Jobs, A., 2023. Building a Diverse Creative Team: Inclusive Strategies and Benefits. [Online]
Available at: https://authenticjobs.com/building-a-diverse-creative-team-inclusive-strategies-and-benefits/

Jones, D. A., 2020. The Tuckman’s Model Implementation, Effect, and Analysis & the New Development of Jones LSI Model on a Small Group. Journal of Management, 6(4), pp. 25-27.

Libraries, M., n.d. The Power to Influence. [Online]
Available at: https://open.lib.umn.edu/organizationalbehavior/chapter/13-3-the-power-to-influence/
[Accessed 12 December 2023].

Marko Hakovirta, N. D. P. T. &. J. E., 2023. The corporate executive leadership team and its diversity: impact on innovativeness and sustainability of the bioeconomy. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications .

Moyo, S., 2023. Engaging Team Interventions in Organizations:A Complexity Approach to Change. Open Journal of Business and Management.

Nir, O., 2020. Why you Need to Diversify your Design Team. [Online]
Available at: https://uxmag.com/articles/why-you-need-to-diversify-your-design-team

Park, K. O., 2019. The Relationship between Power Type,Work Engagement, and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

PushFar, n.d. The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Remote Hiring. [Online]
Available at: https://www.pushfar.com/article/the-importance-of-diversity-and-inclusion-in-remote-hiring/
[Accessed 12 December 2023].

Ray, L., n.d. How to Design a Teamwork Environment to Minimize Job Dissatisfaction. [Online]
Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/design-teamwork-environment-minimize-job-dissatisfaction-48535.html
[Accessed 12 December 2023].

Suhaimi Abd Samad, K. H. M. S. M. H. G. S. S. H. H. D. K. A. F. Y. N. H. R., 2023. A Study of Relationship of Factors in Tuckman Model. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Volume 13.

Tanachia Ashikali, S. G. a. B. K., 2020. The Role of Inclusive Leadership in Supporting an Inclusive Climate in Diverse Public Sector Teams. Review of Public Personnel Administration.

Team, R., 2021. Key elements of inclusive job design. [Online]
Available at: https://www.rolemapper.tech/key-elements-of-inclusive-job-design/
[Accessed 12 December 2023].

Vulpen, E. v., n.d. 8 Key Diversity and Inclusion Jobs Explained. [Online]
Available at: https://www.aihr.com/blog/diversity-and-inclusion-jobs/
[Accessed 12 December 2023].

Whatishumanresource.com, n.d. Job design - Process of job design - Approaches to job design - Theories of job design?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.whatishumanresource.com/job-design
[Accessed 12 December 2023].

Wood, C., 2023. Diversity and inclusion: 7 best practices for changing your culture. [Online]
Available at: https://www.cio.com/article/228581/diversity-and-inclusion-8-best-practices-for-changing-your-culture.html/amp/

Ziemianski, P., 2022. Identifying and Mitigating the Negative Effects of Power in Organizations. Journal of Applied Social Science, 16(1).