Diversity and Team Dynamics Lecture Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering diversity concepts, team development models, group roles, and psychological safety based on lecture materials.

Diversity tension (Goldsmith)

The idea that diversity brings both benefits, like innovation and better ideas, and challenges, such as misunderstandings, conflict, and discomfort.

Business case for diversity (Scott Page)

The argument that diverse groups often outperform groups of similar experts because they improve problem-solving, creativity, decision-making, and market understanding.

Super-Additivity

A phenomenon where the combined performance of a diverse group is greater than the sum of individual talents because members build on each other's different perspectives.

Identity diversity

Visible differences such as race, gender, and age that often bring different life experiences and viewpoints to a group.

Social Identity Theory (Martin Davidson)

The theory that people define themselves by group memberships, which creates in-groups and out-groups, potentially leading to favoritism, bias, and exclusion.

Master Status/Foreground identity (Sandra Sucher)

The identity people notice first, typically age, race, or gender, which shapes how others treat them and can overshadow other qualities like skill.

Minority Status (Sandra Sucher)

The condition of being one of few people from one's specific group within a particular setting.

Stereotype Threat (Sandra Sucher)

The anxiety people feel when they fear confirming a negative stereotype about their group, which can negatively impact performance.

Surface-Level Diversity (David Harrison)

Visible traits such as race, gender, and age.

Deep-Level Diversity (David Harrison)

Less visible traits such as values, beliefs, personality, skills, and attitudes that become more important over time.

Interpersonal congruence (Polzer & Elfenbein)

Occurs when others see you the way you see yourself; it is essential for trust and teamwork.

IAT (Implicit Association Test)

A test developed by M. Banaji used to measure unconscious preferences or biases.

Implicit bias

Automatic attitudes or unconscious preferences that individuals may not realize they have.

In-group favoritism

The tendency to favor people from one's own group over those from other groups.

Real teams (Katzenbach & Smith)

Groups characterized by a small number of people, complementary skills, a common purpose, shared goals, and mutual accountability.

Hackman’s team misperceptions

The mistaken belief that teamwork automatically improves performance, when teams actually often fail without structure, leadership, and clear goals.

Workgroup

A setting where individuals share information but mostly work independently.

Team

A group where members depend on each other to achieve shared goals, resulting in synergy and stronger problem-solving.

Forming (Tuckman)

The first stage of group development characterized by polite behavior and members learning their roles.

Storming (Tuckman)

The second stage of group development involving conflict and disagreements.

Norming (Tuckman)

The third stage of group development where rules and trust begin to develop.

Performing (Tuckman)

The fourth stage of group development characterized by productive teamwork.

Adjourning (Tuckman)

The final stage of group development involving the ending or disbanding of the group.

Carmill Model (Cardona and Miller)

A team development model focusing on the storming phase, suggesting leaders must guide teams toward a constructive cycle rather than a destructive one.

Constructive cycle (Carmill Model)

A path where members focus on team goals, use conflict productively to improve decisions, and grow the team stronger.

Destructive cycle (Carmill Model)

A path where members focus on personal objectives, form coalitions or cliques, and experience emotional conflict that declines performance.

Norms

Unwritten rules for behavior within a group.

Task roles

Roles that help complete work, such as Initiator, Information giver, and Coordinator.

Maintenance roles

Roles that keep relationships positive, such as Encourager, Harmonizer, and Supporter.

Debilitating roles

Roles that hurt group progress, such as Blocker, Dominator, Clowning, or Withdrawing.

Pentland’s successful team patterns

Research finding that team success depends on communication patterns like equal participation, high energy, and face-to-face interaction.

Project Aristotle (Google)

A study that identified psychological safety as the number one factor for effective teams.

Separation diversity (Harrison & Klein)

Differences in opinions or positions, such as different political views.

Variety diversity (Harrison & Klein)

Differences in knowledge or expertise, such as a team with members from marketing, finance, and engineering.

Disparity diversity (Harrison & Klein)

Unequal access to status, resources, or power, such as pay gaps.

Psychological safety (Amy A. Edmondson)

A shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, allowing members to admit mistakes and disagree respectfully.

The Fearless Organization

A concept by A. Edmondson explaining that psychological safety combines candor, respect, learning from mistakes, and accountability.