Let’s be honest: when men and women, as well as older and younger colleagues, work together, it usually benefits everyone – including the employer. So what exactly does a mixed team bring to a company?
In many companies, the most common team composition consists of men in their thirties and forties. There’s nothing wrong with such a group – it’s a team of young, active, and productive people. However, as dynamic as this combination is, the output (in the form of solutions or products) may be somewhat predictable. It won’t disappoint, but it won’t surprise either.
A (seemingly) opposite scenario is an all-female team. If you’ve never worked exclusively with women, you might expect a gentle, delicate environment. In reality, women among themselves can often be tougher and more competitive than men. The rules of the jungle still apply, just expressed differently. Misunderstandings and conflicts are often not resolved face-to-face, creating room for gossip, criticism, comparison, and categorization. Women essentially discuss things constantly, although in the end, they speak roughly as much as men do – the difference is in the topics. Extremes are rarely healthy.
Men and/or Women?
We’re not in the U.S., dealing with representation of African Americans, Hispanics, or people of specific faiths. For now, mixing genders is enough. When employers create a team with both men and women, they can leverage the positive traits that women have and men lack, and vice versa. For example, men tend to take risks quickly and impulsively, while women usually think more before making a clear decision.
Research from MIT, published in the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, analyzed over sixty work teams. Mixed-gender teams are more productive and efficient because they have access to a wider range of skills than a homogeneous team. Women excel in social and relational skills, while men are better with hard data. Together, this combination leads to greater motivation to find new solutions.
Despite some employers’ stereotypes that women, due to childcare responsibilities, contribute less to a company’s profit than men, studies show that mixed teams of men and women generate higher profits than all-male teams.
Mixed Teams Require Tolerance
The same applies to age. Employees over fifty are often seen as a burden: unproductive, inflexible, and risk-averse. Yet these individuals also bring experience, responsibility, prudence, focus, perspective, and diligence – qualities younger employees may lack. Therefore, older employees have much to offer in a mixed team. That’s why more companies include age management as a crucial part of HR. Every generation has unique traits that must be recognized to fully utilize their potential.
Employers who embrace diversity report that mixed teams are productive and efficient because members:
Rely more on facts, making fewer mistakes
Complement each other in many areas
Are accustomed to seeing the bigger picture
Approach problems from multiple angles, enabling original solutions
Can thrive in healthy competition
Are tolerant and able to communicate with people different from themselves
Personality Matters
Sometimes an employer, with good intentions, adds a woman to a male team. But in a masculine environment, women may feel they need to “act like men” to succeed. The same goes for men entering a female-dominated environment, where they may need to emphasize their feminine side. Everyone has traits of the opposite gender – how strongly these are expressed varies. Some women act decisively and quickly, while some men are sensitive and intuitive.
A mixed team cannot be assembled mechanically. You can’t just throw together old, young, male, and female employees and expect the team to perform perfectly by default.
To create a diverse, harmonious team that truly benefits the company, you need to carefully select members based on personality as well. Mixed teams naturally involve much discussion, so members must be considerate, perceptive, and open to new ideas.
Another key requirement is a strong leader. Without one, you risk arguments, conflicts, minimal productivity, or even resignations. A skilled manager recognizes this risk, knowing a team without leadership is lost. If you want to improve your leadership skills, there’s no better opportunity than an MBA program, which provides many chances to develop these abilities.
