In practice: Last week I worked with a new team, and it got me thinking about a question every great team has to answer: how do we deal with our differences? How do we make our work both productive AND pleasurable?
Researchers sort our differences into two buckets — surface-level and deep-level — and each one poses its own challenge.
What researchers call “surface-level diversity” (meaning observable demographic characteristics) can fuel an “us versus them” reflex that undermines team cohesion and collaboration, at least in the short-term.
One common way this shows up is with cultural differences around communication and forthrightness. I saw this last week, one team member values directness; another leans toward tactfulness.
Bridge this gap by helping members understand each other’s working styles. I will often use a personality tool with a team for this reason. It allows teams to talk about strengths and weaknesses in neutral terms. This doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out affair and can really open team members’ minds about why their colleagues do what they do.
What researchers call “deep-level diversity” (underlying differences in knowledge or information, perspectives, values) can improve team performance. However, this doesn’t necessarily happen quickly or automatically and can be polarizing.
Bridge this gap by:
- Setting clear behavioral norms such as “listen like you’re wrong” or “devil’s advocate” to productively deal with conflict
- Starting meetings with a trust-building question to build personal connection before tackling the work
The teams that get this right don't avoid friction; they design for it.
A key question for leaders: Do you treat early friction on teams as a problem to eliminate—or a signal to invest in better process and facilitation?