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Abstract Work teams are firmly established in management theory and practice as dynamic engines of productivity and innovation. Around the globe, firms are mobilizing teams to create and seize market opportunities. Diversity on teams has been shown to be positively associated with performance if process challenges are addressed. Diverse teams have been shown to generate a greater variety of ideas, draw on greater store tacit knowledge, make better decisions, and more effectively accomplish complex tasks than individuals. How can the global corporation – the emblem of business in the 21st century – translate its mission statement into individual action? One answer is via a new breed of teams. These new teams comprise people from different time zones, geographical areas, and cultural affiliations – people whose values, motivations, expectations and behaviors differ. At their best, such teams are able to transcend time, distance, and cultural barriers – hence their name. They are the bridges between a company’s vision of itself as a global entity, and the realization of that vision. Understanding differences; diverse teams are superior to monocultural ones in terms of business performance. They are more creative, innovative, flexible, and productive, but only if handled sensitively. This means accepting and valuing individual and group differences, in a climate of mutual respect and equality. Individuals, however, do not always conform to group stereotypes. Indeed, people often have more than one group with which they identify.
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