The Power of Teamwork: Why Diverse Teams Drive Stronger Growth

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People are conditioned to applaud heroes. Across popular culture, we’re caught up in a tide of heroic imagery and scenes that have us cheering for more, whether it’s the latest superhero film or a goal scored by your third grader as time ticks off the clock. Leaders are no different here. In fact, many executives rise up because they have been so good at winning on a personal level.

Yet time and time again, we understand it is via teamwork that the real magic happens. Efficient and productive teams are the engines of success for your organization, just like they are on movie sets and in professional sports. We are accustomed to the power of teamwork, and we know when we see it. But creating great teams is difficult. Increasingly, leaders – you – are faced with many obstacles that didn’t even exist a handful of years ago.

The task before you is straightforward. To win in the marketplace, now and in the future, leaders must create, grow, and maintain high-performing teams. This only happens, though, if executives and others are willing to address the difficult task of culture change and infuse transformation across the organization, from the board of directors to the front line.

Let’s take a look at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from this perspective. In many companies, a DEI focus is driven by wanting to do the right thing ethically and morally, improve disparities, and advance social justice. However, there is also a transformative business impact of implementing DEI programming to create stronger decision-making structures, improve internal efficiency, and drive better business outcomes.