DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY AND SALIENCE OF NATIONALITY ON TEAM EFFECTIVENESS IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMES)

Abstract

Conventional research has viewed cultural diversity from a narrow perspective confined primarily to gender, age and ethnicity. But the movement of professionals across the globe has highlighted the importance of nationality in a culturally diverse workplace.  There is a distinct lack of literature on cultural diversity focusing on the role of nationality at the team levels in the ICT sector, especially in an SME set up. The aim of this paper is to fill the gap by examining the relationship between cultural diversity mainly nationality and team effectiveness. The study uses a mix method approach with a demographic and team effectiveness questionnaire survey followed by semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that nationality influenced task execution and delivery while religion shaped the dynamics of the team and its functioning. Ethnicity was seen to exert an influence on social relationships. Thus it is imperative to consider the overlap between religion, nationality and ethnicity and how these elements coalesce to shape the dynamics of a team.