Instructions
Read each statement below, and, using the following scale, decide how accurately it describes your team:
Strongly disagree: 0 points
Disagree: 1 point
Agree: 2 points
Strongly agree: 3 points
Place the point value of your answer choice on the blank line at the beginning of each statement below:
_____ 1. When looking for a new team member, we pay special attention to finding someone who will bring new knowledge, skills, values, and thinking into the team.
_____ 2. As a team, we truly value differences in others.
_____ 3. When we have difficult interactions within the team, we explore how these might be arising due to the individual team members coming from diverse backgrounds.
_____ 4. When we have difficult interactions between the team and others outside of it, we explore how these might be arising due to the players coming from diverse backgrounds.
_____ 5. When developing plans and work allocations, we inform those decisions by reviewing the strengths, limitations, and diversity characteristics of each team member.
_____ Total score
Interpreting Your Scores
0 to 5. OK. Your team appears to have some pretty strong tribal characteristics. This might be limiting the richness of your discussions, creativity, and relationship building. You are probably recruiting in your own likeness and trying to iron out differences rather than make use of them. It may be a challenge to develop respect within the team or to build it with others outside the team as you are probably all judging one another rather than valuing what one another brings.
6 to 10. Your team seems to recognize that others may think and act differently, but this does not automatically mean that they are bad or poor performers. There is plenty of opportunity to look for and find the value in the differences in others in your team. You probably see opportunities to capitalize on one another’s differences, but you may not have gotten around doing that yet.
11 to 15. Your team appears to have a very good understanding of the value of diversity if the differences are put to good use, and any conflict they may trigger is well managed. You may be a SuperTeam, or you may be close to it.
