7  Module 5: Building Inclusive and Productive Teams (30 minutes)

7.1 Content Block: Diversity, Equity, and Team Performance (15 minutes)

7.1.1 Opening with Evidence (3 minutes)

Research Foundation: “Three key findings from team performance research:”

  1. Diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams on complex problems (Page 2007)
  2. But diversity alone isn’t enough - inclusion practices determine whether diversity helps or hurts (Nishii 2013)
  3. Small changes in process can have big impacts on who participates and how (Woolley 2010)

Key Insight: “Diversity is about composition. Inclusion is about behavior.”

7.1.2 Understanding Different Types of Diversity (4 minutes)

Surface-Level Diversity:

  • Demographics: gender, race, age, nationality
  • Disciplinary backgrounds
  • Institutional affiliations
  • Career stages

Deep-Level Diversity:

  • Thinking styles (analytical vs. intuitive)
  • Work preferences (individual vs. collaborative)
  • Communication styles (direct vs. indirect)
  • Risk tolerance (conservative vs. experimental)

Why This Matters: “Surface-level diversity is what we see first, but deep-level diversity often drives the performance benefits.”

7.1.3 The Contact Theory Application (3 minutes)

Allport’s Contact Theory: Under the right conditions, contact between different groups reduces bias and improves collaboration.

The Right Conditions for Research Teams:

  1. Equal status within the collaboration context
  2. Common goals that require interdependence
  3. Intergroup contact in cooperative (not competitive) settings
  4. Authority support for collaborative norms

Practical Application: “This means actively creating opportunities for different team members to work together as equals on shared objectives.”

7.1.4 Inclusion Strategies That Work (5 minutes)

Strategy 1: Structured Brainstorming

  • Problem: Extroverted team members dominate idea generation
  • Solution: Silent brainstorming → individual sharing → group building

Strategy 2: Devil’s Advocate Protocols

  • Problem: Pressure for false consensus
  • Solution: Assign someone to argue alternative perspectives

Strategy 3: Multiple Communication Channels

  • Problem: Some people don’t speak up in meetings
  • Solution: Combine verbal discussion, written input, and one-on-one check-ins

Strategy 4: Bias Interruption

  • Problem: Unconscious biases affect evaluation of ideas and contributions
  • Solution: Structured evaluation criteria, diverse review panels

Strategy 5: Cultural Bridge-Building

  • Problem: Different professional cultures have different norms
  • Solution: Explicit discussion of differences, negotiated team norms

7.2 Activity 5: Inclusion Audit and Action Planning (15 minutes)

7.2.1 Individual Assessment (5 minutes)

Instructions: “Think about a current or recent research collaboration. Rate how well the team does on each inclusion indicator using a 1-5 scale.”

Inclusion Indicators:

  1. Diverse representation in leadership and decision-making roles
  2. Equitable participation in meetings and discussions
  3. Multiple communication styles are accommodated and valued
  4. Different perspectives are actively sought on important decisions
  5. Cultural differences are acknowledged and leveraged as strengths
  6. Bias mitigation strategies are used in evaluation and selection processes
  7. Conflict resolution addresses both task and relationship issues
  8. Recognition and credit are distributed fairly across contributions

Facilitator Notes:

  • Walk around but maintain privacy
  • Notice if people seem stuck - offer to clarify any indicators
  • This should be reflective, not judgmental

7.2.2 Pair Planning (10 minutes)

Partner Assignment: “Find someone you don’t know well or haven’t worked with closely.”

Conversation Structure: Round 1 (3 minutes each person): Share assessment results

  • Which areas scored highest? What makes those work well?
  • Which areas scored lowest? What barriers do you see?
  • Don’t problem-solve yet - just understand each other’s situations

Round 2 (4 minutes total): Collaborative action planning

  • Choose 2-3 priority areas for improvement
  • Brainstorm specific, actionable strategies
  • Consider: What would you try first? What support would you need?

Facilitation Approach: - Circulate to listen for innovative ideas - Help pairs stay focused on actionable steps - Note themes for whole-group debrief

Common Challenges and Responses:

  • “Our team is already pretty inclusive” → “That’s great! What could you share with other teams?”
  • “These problems are too big for me to solve” → “What’s one small experiment you could try?”
  • “I’m not in a leadership position” → “What can you influence from your current role?”