Diversity, Employee Engagement and Teamwork foster a better working environment

The world of business is a very interesting and insightful place. Various “buzzwords” and phrases spark intriguing views and interpretations. Theses highly topical words and phrases provoke feelings and reactions creating a learning environment for everyone. The “buzzwords” that are at the forefront of the business world today are Diversity, Employee Engagement and Teamwork.

These concepts were very topical throughout my Human Resource Management Master’s Degree. My thesis topic was created by my strong interest in these three topical areas as I began to wonder the positive effect all three would have on a company’s performance.

My thesis was based on analysing the alignment of diversity and employee engagement in order to enhance team effectiveness. The objective of the study was to examine workplace diversity by focusing on three dimensions, age, gender and culture while also exploring employee engagement through employee perceptions in order to create a better working environment within team situations.

Employee Voice and Leadership are core elements of Employee Engagement

Article by Lisa Casserly Recruitment Consultant Galway Office

Workplace diversity and employee engagement are key concepts within the 21st century and companies are striving to incorporate them into their visions and values. Diversity can foster a better working environment and leadership is an important aspect in enhancing diversity within teams. Employee voice and leadership are core elements of employee engagement. Diversity and employee engagement can positively align together, however, through a quantitative methodology it was evident that a lack of cohesion within teams can hinder the alignment of the three concepts.

Overall the study was very interesting in that it highlighted that diversity can have an indirect impact on output by creating a positive working environment. To achieve this, efficient management is essential for establishing an organisational culture where everyone understands and values diversity. Employee Engagement is a strong contributing factor to enhancing teamwork. Employee voice is an essential part of employee engagement, however, adapting the correct leadership style is necessary for employee voice to be established. To align the three concepts and enhance team effectiveness a learning environment is essential. Cohesiveness is a fundamental aspect within teams, and it is evident that the alignment of both diversity and employee engagement can create cohesiveness thus linking to team performance.

Teamwork is a vital part of any organisation and understanding how to get the best out of a team is a valuable asset for any leader.

Focusing on an inclusive leadership style where employee voice is respected, and diversity and employee engagement are at the core of the organisations visions and values will create a sense of cohesiveness thus making performance within teams more efficient.