Diversity climate, defined as an organizational climate characterized by openness towards and appreciation of individual differences, has been shown to enhance outcomes in culturally diverse teams.
- It has been shown to positively affect outcomes on the individual, group, and organizational level.
- Two aspects of workgroup communication are identified which may play an important role in this regard: trust and openness.
- Diverse teams are able to draw from a larger pool of available knowledge and experience, which enhances workgroup effectiveness.
- Expression of diverse opinions may force team members to be more alert and critical in their evaluation of problem solving strategies
Diversity climate has been defined in terms of the presence of organizational policies and structures that promote the position of designated groups, such as affirmative action and career advancement programs.
This type of diversity climate has been related to favorable business outcomes like employee retention, customer satisfaction and sales performance.
Source: Hofhuis, J., van der Rijt, P. G., & Vlug, M. (2016). Diversity climate enhances work outcomes through trust and openness in workgroup communication. SpringerPlus, 5(1), 714. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-016-2499-4
