Fostering Innovation Through Cultural Diversity

FDM has been expanding its international marketing team. With so many people from such a variety of backgrounds, the benefits of working in a diverse environment are clear. Our team consists of people from India, Turkey, Scotland, the Philippines, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Greece and more, all adding to the 85+ nationalities that work for FDM in total.

FDM’s commitment to inclusion is evident through our efforts to build a more balanced workforce in all our departments. “At FDM we live and breathe diversity, we don’t just talk about it. The Marketing team comprises of over 10 nationalities and cultures which hugely enhances the creativity and output of the team. Working within such a diverse team from different backgrounds adds flavour to the mix and provides exciting outcomes for the business.” says Alayna Mansell, Group Marketing Manager.

What are the benefits of diversity?

In order to remain informed on worldwide trends and compete in a global economy, companies are continuously looking at how they can diversify their talent. Here are some of the benefits of diverse teams:

1) Diversity increases creativity and innovation

Collaborating with people from different parts of the world drives a breadth of ideas. Integrating multiple points of view can have a positive impact on the flow of inspiration.  Pei Chi Lo, Senior Web Graphic Designer based in New York City says, “Being part of a diverse team like ours provides a deep well of cross-cultural experience and insight from which to draw my inspiration. For me, this is such a valuable resource in the creative process.“

2) Diverse teams are better at communication

Understanding, recognising and appreciating the cultural differences between those in your team will have a long-term impact on your ability to communicate professionally. By learning to efficiently communicate with colleagues from different ethnicities and backgrounds, you will have a leg up when resolving conflict and getting complex projects off the ground.

3) Diversity improves productivity and performance

Diverse teams have different methods of working and expertise. The Harvard Business Review stated that working in diverse teams produce better outcomes precisely because it’s harder, highlighting that the challenges that come with working in diverse teams push higher performance in order to meet at common ground. As several opinions are balanced, the objective of marketing collateral is constantly challenged in effort to provide the best possible outputs for FDM’s stakeholders. “Being part of a global team involves working with people in different time zones. While this may pose a challenge, it encourages me and my team to continuously learn and develop ways to improve our collaborative efforts and problem-solving abilities, which ultimately helps us arrive at the most optimal outcome. Our recent Girls in ICT Day initiative was a global project and we were able to work together to enhance the working process and create a successful campaign.” says Ysabelle Margallo, Marketing Executive based in Sydney.

4) Diverse teams empower each other

Working as part of a culturally diverse team can create a sense of belonging and inspire conversations around lived experiences that provide insight on how to perform better, be healthier and hone soft skills like stress management and critical thinking.

Working in a global team can pose challenges. However, diverse and inclusive teams that can overcome time differences and not being able to work in person find that meetings take less time, with decisions being made twice as fast when compared to teams that are not diverse, according to a 2017 study. Diverse teams are also able to make better business decisions up to 87% of the time.  FDM’s marketing team is testament to the fact that having a diverse and inclusive team produces better results, increases efficiency and creates a positive work environment.