Exploring the Typical Features and Structure of an Argumentative

Diversity: Help or Hindrance to Group Per-

formance?

In an increasingly complex and compeve business world,

how is a company to generate the creave ideas needed for

ongoing success? Many managers believe that forming

teams with cross-funconal diversity is the answer (Sethi et

al., 2002), and this is becoming increasingly common (Mu &

Gnyawali, 2003). However, while diversity in group mem-

bership may lead to the diversity of ideas needed for inno-

vave problem solving, it is argued here that that managers

need to be aware that there are many ways that diversity

can in fact hinder team performance, though there are

strategies that both teams and their managers can use to

reduce the potenal negaves and enhance the potenal

posives.

Aside from the cross-funconal diversity, many other types

of diversity can have eects on team performance and

some of these types of diversity can have inherently nega-

ve eects. For example, any negave stereotyping by

group members resulng from diversity in terms of gender,

age or ethnicity will reduce team social cohesion and hence

group performance (Fiske & Neuberg, 1990, as cited in Har-

rison et al., 2002) because a certain amount of social cohe-

sion has been found to be correlated with eecve group

performance (Harrison et al., 2002). Other aspects of diver-

sity, such as in atudes towards the group’s tasks, in values,

and in me management styles, can also negavely aect

group social cohesion and hence group performance (Fiske

& Neuberg, 1990, as cited in Harrison et al., 2002).

The sorts of diversity that are most likely to be benecial

to group performance, such as diversity in relevant

knowledge, experience and skills (Harrison et al., 2002), can

unfortunately also cause problems for group performance.

Having too many diverse views and opinions to coordinate

can, for example, cause cognive overload amongst group

members and so impede its decision making processes (Mu

& Gnyawali, 2003; Sethi et al., 2002). This is especially likely

to be a problem when the team has a limited amount of

me to complete its tasks (Mu & Gnyawali, 2003). The cross

-funconal diversity menoned above can also cause prob-

lems if group members have diculty understanding and

coordinang the diering world views and values of group

members from dierent funconal areas (Colbeck et al.,

2000 and Gallos, 1989, as cited in Mu & Gnyawali, 2003).

Exploring the Typical Features and Structure of an

Argumentative Essay with a Simple Example

Analysis is important for

top marks. In this case,

analysis means breaking

down the broad concept

of diversity to consider

the possibly diering

ways that dierent types

of diversity might aect

group performance.

Thesis statement: the overall

claim that will be defended

with evidence and reasoning

in the body of the essay.

A good thesis implies a struc-

ture. In this case, that there

will be:

 explanaons of the ways

that dierent types of

diversity can negavely

impact team performance

 followed by an explanaon

of the strategies teams

and their managers can

use to reduce these nega-

ves and enhance posi-

ves.

Paragraph starts with a

topic sentence which in-

troduces the topic of the

paragraph. In this case the

topic is announced as a

claim (words in bold face)

which supports the thesis.

D.R. Rowland, The Learning Hub, Student Services, The University of Queensland 1

Context or background

which provides the mo-

vaon for discussing the

issue or queson ad-

dressed by the essay.

This is the evidence and rea-

soning which supports the

claim being made in this para-

graph. Note that the evidence

is not simply described;

“because” and “hence” indi-

cate that a reason is being

given and that a conclusion

from the presented evidence

is being drawn.

Topic sentence: again in

the form of a sub-claim.

Note the use of con-

crete examples (“such

as”) to help the reader

understand what the

writer means by “the

sorts of diversity that

are most likely to be

benecial to group per-

formance”.

Note again how the writer

has not simply said, for ex-

ample, that “having too

many ideas can be a prob-

lem”, but has also explained

why having too many ideas

can be a problem. This is

necessary for the reader to

understand the argument

being made.

Key Guide:

 Bold facing of text is used to highlight the words which indicate the topic of a sentence.

 Underlining is used to highlight words whose funcon is to indicate the logical connecon between ideas to the reader.

 Italics is used for emphasis and would be used even in unannotated text.

Given all the above-menoned problems associated with diversity, are

there strategies that a team and its managers can implement to reduce

the potenal negaves and enhance the potenal posives? Regard-

ing cognive overload, evidently a team needs to be given an adequate

amount of me to complete its task. Scheduling frequent collaboraon

can also be used to build social cohesion and overcome the potenal

negave impacts of stereotypes (Harrison et al., 2002) provided “team

psychological safety” is fostered in the group (Mu & Gnyawali, 2003).

And since too much social cohesion can cause teams to avoid the robust

debate needed to generate the best thinking in order to protect social

relaonships, management encouragement of the group to be

“venturesome” in its work can also be helpful (Sethi et al., 2002).

In conclusion, it appears that if managers wish to create especially

eecve teams, they should seek to minimise diversity in terms of task

and me management values, while looking to maximise dierences in

relevant knowledge and skills. They should further aim to foster as much

collaboraon as possible so as to develop team social cohesion, have

rules about interacons which foster team psychological safety, and

encourage the team to be venturesome. Unless these things are done,

managers will likely nd diversity more a hindrance than a help for

group performance.

References

Harrison, D. A., Price, K. H., Gavin, J. H., & Florey, A. T. (2002). Time, teams, and task perfor-

mance: changing eects of surface- and deep-level diversity on group funconing.

Academy of Management Journal, 45(5), 1029-1045.

Mu, S., & Gnyawali, D. R. (2003). Developing synergisc knowledge in student groups. The

Journal of Higher Educaon, 74(6), 689-711.

Sethi, R., Smith, D. C., & Park, C. W. (2002). How to kill a team’s creavity. Harvard Business

Review, 80(8), 16-17.

Essay Structure

Students often ask if their essay has “a good structure”. One way of assessing this for yourself is to list the question(s)

each paragraph answers and asking yourself if that list is:

a) in a logical order (e.g. problem identification → solutions for the identified problems; terms are defined before you

start discussing them in earnest);

b) comprehensive (e.g. answers all the questions an interested reader would have and covers all important points of

view);

c) doesn’t include anything irrelevant to the overall argument.

Such a list can be created after writing during the editing phase, or before you start writing in the researching and

planning stages.

For this essay, the question structure is:

1. Why is diversity and group performance of interest and what will be claimed in relation to the common belief that

cross-functional diversity aids innovative problem solving?

2. What types of diversity tend to have an inherently negative effect on group performance and why is that the case?

3. Why can the sorts of diversity which are supposed to aid group creativity also be inimical to good group

performance?

4. What can teams and their managers do to overcome the potentially negative effects on group performance?

5. What is the final “takeaway message” about diversity and group performance?

If you go back to the essay’s thesis, you will notice that this structure flows out of that thesis: the body provides the evi-

dence and reasoning which supports the thesis.

In this paragraph, the

topic of the paragraph

(words in bold face) is

announced with a ques-

on rather than a claim,

thus illustrang that

there is more than one

way of “introducing” a

paragraph.

A longer essay would

explore these ideas in

more depth. For ex-

ample, “How can an

‘adequate’ amount of

me be determined?”

“What training do

team leaders and/or

team members need

to be able facilitate

‘team psychological

safety’?”

“In conclusion” sig-

nals the topic of this

paragraph.

Have you ever

jumped to the con-

clusion of a piece of

wring to get the

main points in a

“nutshell”? If so,

then this tells you

what the reader

wants from your

conclusion.

Most essays would

require several more

references than this

to support a compre-

hensive analysis. How-

ever, ask your lecturer

about the expecta-

ons for your parcu-

lar essays.

D.R. Rowland, The Learning Hub, Student Services, The University of Queensland 2