The Relationship of Ethnic Diversity and Team Performance: Finding the Missing Link

Nigeria is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world with over 250 ethnic groups and over 150 million citizens. Scholars have claimed that ethnic identity plays a pivotal role in organisations, as it exerts influence across different organisational activities and situations, such as competition between companies, departmental conflicts, or cooperation of employees (Osaghae, 1995). However, the understanding of ethnic diversity and its influences in Nigerian organisations seems limited. Hence, this research aimed to investigate how employees of different backgrounds function together as a work group in Nigerian organisations. This research examined the relationship between ethnic diversity and team performance in the context of Nigerian organisations. Individual experiences and actual performance across different ethnic groups were analysed and compared. The research methodology in this study was qualitative, and semi-structured interviews were used as a main data collection method. These interviews were conducted with a sample of 26 individuals to examine ethnically diverse employees of a multi-national alcoholic beverage manufacturer and distributor in Lagos, Nigeria. In terms of data analysis, thematic analysis was used to bring out the themes for analysis. Different categories and insights were specified in relation to the explored research problem. Findings show that it was possible to have a good team with shared or common goals and ideologies despite difference in ethnic or cultural backgrounds. This study further showed ethnic diversity had an impact on the team’s creativity, organisational commitment, and cohesion to enhance good team performance. However, the analysis also showed that good leadership and a strong work environment contributed to team performance. Generally, ethnic diversity is shown to have a positive and useful effect on team creativity. Yet it should be noted that it was not ethnic diversity alone that helped produce this effect, but it was also due to diversities in experience and skill sets. This contributes to the knowledge of ethnic diversity of the Nigerian workforce, clarifies the mechanism of teamwork and the complexity of ethnic diversity. The findings will help managerial practitioners to manage their diverse Nigerian employees more effectively and create high achieving and supportive team dynamics that promote collaboration and successful work ethic.

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Year dc:date

2020

Author dc:creator

• Ali, Raphael

Contributors dc:contributor

• Adesola, Sola
• Bachkirova, Tatiana

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/ygq1-g310

OAI identifier oai:identifier

tle:89212747-30ea-4e95-9bf4-4c8c0651c3aa:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1