Did you know that teams with greater diversity are 35% more likely to outperform less diverse ones? In today’s workplace, diversity isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a must-have. But building a diverse team is only half the equation. Without fostering true inclusion, the benefits of diversity can quickly fade.

As a manager, your ability to lead an inclusive team isn’t just about checking boxes or hiring people from different backgrounds. It’s about creating an environment where every team member feels heard, valued, and empowered to contribute. Surprisingly, this often has less to do with individual personalities and more to do with how teams function as a whole.

The problem? Most leaders focus on individual strengths and personalities instead of the collective behaviors that drive how a team actually works together.

This blog is here to help you solve that challenge. You’ll find actionable tips to build a more inclusive team, guided by the insights of how your team behaves together—not just the personalities within it. At TeamDynamics, we believe that understanding your team's collective behavior is the secret to fostering a team where diversity thrives. Because let’s face it: when your team gets better, your leadership shines brighter.

Why is diversity and inclusion more than just a buzzword? Keep reading to find out.

Understanding Team Dynamics and Inclusivity

When it comes to creating an inclusive team, understanding how your group naturally behaves is a game-changer. Teams are more than just the sum of their individual personalities—they have collective habits that influence how information is shared, decisions are made, and work gets done. These patterns can either support diversity and inclusion—or unintentionally undermine them.

At TeamDynamics, we break these patterns down into four key dimensions: Communicating, Processing, Deciding, and Executing. Each impacts inclusivity in a different way. Let’s take a closer look.

Communicating: Are You Missing Voices Without Realizing It?

How your team shares information can affect who gets heard. In an Ordered team, communication happens within formal processes like meetings, agendas, or weekly updates. That structure can be helpful—but it can also exclude quieter voices or newer team members who may not feel comfortable “breaking in” to rigid systems.

On the flip side, Informal teams rely on organic discussions—often in casual chats or brainstorming sessions. This sounds more flexible, but it can alienate people who prefer clear frameworks or who aren’t naturally quick to jump into free-flowing conversations.

No matter your style, if your team’s communication habits always echo the same voices, inclusion isn’t happening.

Processing: Are Biases Creeping Into Your Team’s Decision-Making?

How your team evaluates information matters too. In a Relational team, people may value input based on who it came from. This can create blind spots, like prioritizing ideas from well-liked team members while overlooking great thoughts from less-established ones.

Meanwhile, Logical teams focus strictly on facts and data, ignoring personal dynamics. While this might sound “fair,” it can dismiss how someone’s lived experience or emotions offer critical perspectives—especially for underrepresented team members.

Start asking why some ideas are embraced more than others. The root cause might surprise you.

Deciding: Are You Leaving People Out of the Final Call?

How your team moves forward after hearing ideas is another place where inclusion can break down. Concordant teams, for instance, rely on consensus to take action. While this approach values group agreement, it can favor politeness over real discussion—quiet disagreements may go unspoken to “keep the peace.” The result? Marginalized team members get steamrolled by the majority.

In Authoritative teams, decisions fall to the leader. While this can speed things up, it risks sidelining team input altogether, especially when leaders unintentionally lean on familiar opinions or favorite voices.

Decision-making should feel like a conversation—not a rubber stamp or a bottleneck.

Executing: Are You Accommodating Different Work Styles?

Finally, think about how your team tackles its goals. In Deliberate teams, the focus is on careful planning and execution. While this structure provides clarity, it can feel stifling for people who thrive in more flexible environments.

On the flip side, Spontaneous teams prefer to keep plans light and adaptable. While this can be energizing, it risks sidelining detail-oriented teammates who feel more comfortable with predictability.

A mix of structure and flexibility creates a space where everyone can do their best work.

Why Team Dynamics Are the Secret to Real Inclusion

Even well-meaning teams can have habits that unintentionally exclude certain voices. Most of the time, it’s unintentional—your team isn’t trying to leave anyone out, but these patterns can still make it hard for everyone to contribute equally.

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The good news? Once you spot these behaviors, you can fix them. By using tools like TeamDynamics, you can uncover these tendencies, understand their impact, and adjust as needed. For example, if your team skews relational when processing information, you might encourage everyone to focus on the message, not just the messenger. Or, if decision-making leans authoritative, try inviting input from the group before making big calls.

Inclusivity isn’t about fixing individuals—it’s about reshaping your team’s habits. Want real change? Start here.

Challenges Leaders Face When Building Inclusive Teams

Building inclusive teams sounds great on paper, but the reality? It's tough. Many managers don’t realize how easy it is to unintentionally create an environment where some voices dominate while others are pushed aside. If you’ve ever left a meeting realizing the same three people did all the talking, you know exactly what we mean. Here are some real challenges leaders often face—and how they tie back to team dynamics.

1. Unconscious Bias in Everyday Decisions

Your team’s hiring process may unintentionally favor people with similar backgrounds. Promotions might go to the loudest voices. These are signs of unconscious bias, and they hit teams hard. The result? A team that looks and thinks the same, limiting its ability to innovate. For example, in a team where decisions are made through authoritative leadership (top-down), there’s a higher chance those biases go unchecked. If diverse perspectives aren’t actively heard or valued, team inclusion suffers.

2. Conflict Between Working Styles

Teams don’t always mesh. Picture a spontaneous execution style (think flexible, go-with-the-flow) clashing with a deliberate execution approach (everything planned down to the last detail). The more methodical team members might feel frustrated by constant changes. Meanwhile, spontaneous thinkers might feel constrained by over-planning. If you’ve ever watched a project stall because of this kind of disconnect, you’ve seen the problem firsthand.

3. Loud Voices Overpowering Quiet Ones

Let’s face it: In many teams, the loud get louder, while quieter team members fade into the background. Think about your last brainstorming session. Did everyone contribute, or did a handful of dominant voices set the tone? In teams that lean toward concordant decision-making (decision by group consensus), a vocal few often take over, leaving out quieter—but equally brilliant—ideas. This is a recipe for frustration and disengagement.

4. Resistance to Change

Anytime you push for a more inclusive team culture, you’ll face pushback. People are protective of the way they’ve always worked. Team members with strong habits—like relying on rigid, ordered communication channels—won’t easily adapt to something less formal. Change feels risky, and risk makes people uncomfortable. That resistance can stall any well-intentioned effort to build inclusivity.

The Team Dynamics Perspective

Here’s the truth: Most of these challenges stem from blind spots about how your team actually operates. This is where understanding your team's collective behavior—and not just individual tendencies—makes the difference. For example, knowing that your team leans heavily toward authoritative decision-making? That tells you it might be time to involve others earlier in the process. Awareness like this helps identify and solve these roadblocks before they derail your team's progress.

How TeamDynamics Can Help

When it comes to addressing these challenges, you can’t fix what you can’t see. That’s why tools like TeamDynamics exist. They expose patterns you might miss—like the way your team approaches communication, decision-making, and execution—and give you practical ways to course-correct. More importantly, a data-driven understanding of team behavior equips you to lead with intention, making inclusivity not just a goal, but a reality.

The challenges are real, but so is the opportunity to build something better. Once you start pulling apart the dynamics that shape your team, you’ll see where change is needed—and where inclusion can truly thrive.

Actionable Inclusive Leadership Tips for Managers

Creating a more inclusive team isn’t just “nice to have.” It’s a must-have for any manager serious about building teams that perform at a higher level. But let’s face it—fostering true inclusion can be tough. It requires consistent effort and intentional choices. The good news? Small changes can make a big impact. Here are seven practical steps you can take today to create a more inclusive team:

1. Promote Open Dialogue Through Intentional Communication

An open-door policy isn’t enough. If quieter team members never take you up on it, what’s the point? Push yourself to go beyond passive platitudes. During team meetings, actively invite input from those who tend to stay quiet. For example, instead of asking, “Does anyone have questions?” try, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet.”

Teams that lean toward "authoritative" communication styles (where leaders dominate discussions) may struggle here. Inclusive leaders actively create space for a broader range of voices by encouraging a balance between ordered and informal communication styles.

2. Rotate Meeting Facilitators

Let’s be real: The same few people typically take charge during meetings. This leads to the same ideas being emphasized, often at the expense of fresh perspectives. Break the cycle by rotating meeting facilitators. Assign a junior team member or someone from a different department. Not only does this get quieter folks to speak up, but it also reminds the louder personalities to listen.

If your team thrives on an ordered approach, don’t worry—rotating facilitators doesn’t mean sacrificing structure. You can still follow an agenda. The point is to give everyone the chance to shape the conversation, not just the default voices.

3. Use Data-Driven Tools to Understand Collective Behaviors

Let’s face it: No one’s completely unbiased. That’s why using objective tools to expose your team’s blind spots is smart leadership. For example, the TeamDynamics test doesn’t just tell you who your “creatives” or “planners” are. It reveals how your entire team works together—how you process, communicate, execute, and decide.

Imagine discovering that your team decides everything by consensus (concordant) instead of through leadership direction (authoritative). That’s great for some decisions, but it might be slowing you down in high-stakes situations. A tool like TeamDynamics shows these patterns in black and white so you can work to fix them.

4. Incorporate Diverse Perspectives in Decision-Making

It’s easy to default to “the usual suspects” when seeking feedback or making decisions. But are you really getting the best ideas? Step out of your bubble by consciously bringing different voices to the table.

For instance, if one team member is known for their logical approach and another excels in relationship-driven thinking, make sure both are part of important conversations. These two perspectives are equally valuable, and intentionally blending them leads to more balanced, inclusive decisions.

5. Make Goals and Responsibilities Transparent

Vagueness breeds confusion and inequality. When someone isn’t clear on their role—or how success is defined—they’re already at a disadvantage compared to those who naturally take charge. To create an inclusive environment, make team goals, responsibilities, and expectations crystal clear.

For "deliberate" teams that thrive on structured plans, transparency is often second nature. But if your team leans toward a "spontaneous" approach, this may require extra effort. Even in fast-paced environments, writing down objectives and divvying up roles ensures everyone is on the same page.

6. Build Flexibility Into How Your Team Works

Here’s a hot take for managers: Rigid processes kill creativity. Yes, some projects need structure, but sticking to a single “right” way of working can exclude talented people who thrive in less traditional environments.

If your team is heavily deliberate, challenge yourself to introduce flexibility where possible. For instance, if one person likes detailed weekly plans but another thrives on last-minute brainstorming, create space for both approaches. Let employees choose the tools or methods that work best for them.

7. Regularly Audit Your Team Dynamics

Inclusion isn’t a one-and-done task. Team behavior evolves over time, and so should your leadership approach. Schedule regular check-ins to evaluate your team’s dynamics. Ask questions like, “Are we relying on the same people for input every time?” or “Do team members feel equally supported in decision-making?”

Think of tools like TeamDynamics as your compass. It helps you assess patterns, identify blind spots, and adjust your inclusivity strategy as your team grows and changes.

The Bottom Line

Great managers aren’t just focused on hitting goals—they’re focused on developing teams where everyone has room to thrive. Inclusive leadership isn’t about checking boxes or following trends. It’s about making intentional choices to create a space where all voices are valued.

If that sounds overwhelming, don’t sweat it. Tools like TeamDynamics are here to simplify the process. By understanding your team’s collective behaviors, you’ll have a clear starting point for more inclusive leadership. Ready to take the first step? Invite your team to TeamDynamics to uncover your team’s profile and start building the inclusive team your workplace needs.

The Role of Personality Tests in Team Diversity and Inclusion

Personality tests like MBTI, Enneagram, and StrengthsFinder are everywhere in the workplace. Many managers use them to better understand individual team members. While these tools can be helpful, they have a major blind spot—they focus too much on individuals and not enough on the team as a whole. If your goal is to build a diverse and truly inclusive team, this approach can only take you so far.

Here’s why: Personality tests are all about you. They’ll tell you things like whether you’re introverted or extroverted or whether you prefer working with facts or ideas. That’s fine for personal insight, but teams don’t succeed (or fail) because one person is introverted or loves ideas. Teams succeed because of how people work together. How do they make decisions? How do they solve problems? How do they communicate when tensions are high? You need insight into these collective team behaviors if you want to improve inclusion.

Let’s look at an example. Imagine a team relies on informal communication (like spontaneous chats or Slack channels) to share critical updates. This setup works well for some—usually, the loudest or most connected voices—but it may alienate quieter team members or those less comfortable speaking up casually. A personality test might flag one or two people as being more reserved, but it won’t help you analyze the team dynamic causing the exclusion. Tools like TeamDynamics fill this gap by focusing on how a team operates and uncovering patterns that might lead to unintentional exclusion.

Take another example: decision-making. An authoritative team (where the leader makes most of the calls) can quickly shut down diversity of thought. Even if you have a team full of creative, big-picture thinkers, they’re unable to contribute if the structure doesn’t give them space to do so. The same could happen with a concordant team (which decides by consensus). In those cases, quieter voices might feel they have to agree with the majority, even if they have a new or better idea. These patterns drive exclusion in ways traditional personality tests simply don’t address.

This is where TeamDynamics shines. Instead of slicing up your team into individual labels, it categorizes the entire team into one of 16 types, based on how they communicate, process, decide, and execute. By zooming out and looking at the team’s collective behavior, you can pinpoint where the barriers to inclusion might be—and, more importantly, what to do about them.

Personality tests are fine for understanding how individuals tick, but they’re overrated if you’re trying to solve team problems. Inclusion isn’t just about making team members feel seen as individuals—it’s about making sure everyone feels like they belong in the way the team functions. If you’re serious about creating a more inclusive team, start focusing less on personality types and more on team dynamics. Tools like TeamDynamics make that shift easy—and game-changing.

Want to know your team’s dynamic type? Start your journey to a more inclusive and high-performing team by taking the TeamDynamics test today.

Conclusion: Start Building More Inclusive Teams Today

Diversity and inclusion aren’t just buzzwords—they’re the backbone of high-performing teams. Diverse perspectives fuel creativity and innovation, while inclusion ensures every team member feels valued and heard. But it’s not enough to hire diverse talent if the way your team works together unintentionally silences some voices.

Here’s the truth: Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident. It’s shaped by how your team communicates, processes information, makes decisions, and executes plans. These behaviors either create space for diversity to thrive or unintentionally shut it down. That’s why understanding your team’s collective dynamics isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.

If you’re serious about fostering real inclusion, don’t rely on guesswork. Use tools like TeamDynamics to uncover hidden patterns in your team’s behavior and take action. Whether your team struggles with rigid communication processes, overly spontaneous execution styles, or anything in between, data-driven insights can show you where to make changes that count.

Don’t wait for another disengaged meeting or missed opportunity. Take the first step toward building a more inclusive, high-performing team. Check out TeamDynamics today to discover your team’s behavioral profile and start turning diversity into a competitive advantage. You can even try TeamDynamics for free!

Your team deserves a leader who understands how they work together—and how they can work better.