The popular media and business press can present an oversimplified and misleading picture of diversity and its potential for improving team and organisational performance, argues Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour Dr Meir Shemla of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM). As a result, managers and organisation are often surprised and disappointed when their diversity efforts and policies do not lead to the expected positive outcomes. They shouldn’t be, says Shemla, researcher in diversity: if diversity is not carefully managed, it is more likely to cause problems than increase performance.<
“The story in the more popular media is that diversity is great, diversity is wonderful, you just bring people together who are different from each other and you're goin...