Babbling to perfection: Do culturally diversified teams work better than homogenous ones?

There was a biblical event that told us how humankind found its many different languages. In this story, man finds the use of bricks, and decides to build a Babylonian city with a tall tower to honour themselves. The tower would be so tall, it would reach the heavens. God came down and humbles their pride. He confused man with many different languages. The builders now, could not understand each other, stopped building the city and were scattered throughout the earth. The tower was aptly called Babel. (Genesis 11:1-9)

Singapore is a multi-racial country. Amazingly, our forefathers managed to work our differences out then, and we now, live harmoniously (all 5.6 million of us on a tiny 720 sqkm island). Fruits of this hard labor can be seen in the systematic convenience of our country, our glorious variety of food, and the good level of peace and safety we currently enjoy. 

Many who live here hail from colourful and different backgrounds, culture, and obviously speak different languages. Within the construction industry, we see the Tower of Babel replayed. We have an array of nationalities present on a single project, from interior designers, to project managers, to suppliers, labourers and business owners of the many trades - even clients, owners and developers of the projects. 

Not withstanding the multiple platforms of communication that are available today, a clear single language to communicate design intentions and instructions would still be the best way forward. To further add to the chaotic scene, clients who are not familiar with the industry would have different expectations of delivery and outcome. To say the least, we have a present-day Tower of Babel situation on our hands, everyday. 

However, through these difficulties, with good leadership and clear standards for work and communication, we find that having a diversified team can do so much more than a homogenous team. We can compete on a global scale, we are open to multiple markets, our clients can receive a better design through a team with varied experiences. Learning from each other, daily, helps us to be a better person from a growth perspective as well. We have observed that a certain generation of locals might have a different perspective of what ‘work’ means, compared to similarly aged designers from a different country or background. Experientially, the team grows to be more aware of each other’s abilities and will have a more holistic learning and working environment. The commercial impact on the frontlines are apparent. 

In Genesis, before casting man with different languages and confusing them, it was curious that in this text, God said ‘If people spoke the same language, they could accomplish even the impossible.’ We want to be a company that is diverse behind the veil, but beyond the veil, when we’re on the battlefront, we want to be speaking the same language of unification. To solve problems together, create value together, and build better experiences together.