Work team diversity and team effectiveness : a correlational field study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between team diversity, defined as the magnitude of differences within teams in terms of race, gender, age, personality, and values, and team effectiveness. Team effectiveness was defined in terms of performance, internal viability, and external viability. It was hypothesized that overall diversity could be meaningfully measured in a single index and that the relationship of diversity with effectiveness would be moderated by characteristics of the teams' tasks as well as by team cohesion. In addition, this study compared the predictive ability of the single diversity index with the more traditional approach of measuring individual attribute heterogeneities and regressing effectiveness measures on those heterogeneity scores. The personality and values components of diversity were measured via the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Bowling Green Survey of Work Values. Demographic information was also collected from participants (n=390) who were all employees of a large government agency. Team effectiveness measures were collected via a survey administered to team members as well as through a supervisor's survey.

Team diversity as measured by the index showed a relatively low, but significant correlation with perceived diversity. However, team tenure was found to moderate this relationship. Low tenured teams showed no correlation between diversity and perceived diversity, whereas higher tenured teams showed a strong positive correlation. Diversity was directly related only to team members' ratings of overall quantity of work. The relationship between diversity and supervisors' ratings of quantity was moderated by task complexity. Team cohesion was found to moderate the relationship between diversity and supervisors ratings of creativity. The traditional individual attribute approach of measuring diversity was found to be more predictive of team effectiveness. Using this approach,personality and gender diversity were significant predictors of team quality, age diversity predicted team quantity, and gender diversity predicted team effectiveness. Perceived diversity was found to be predicted by race and gender heterogeneity, and was positively correlated with team member ratings of creativity, teamwork, capability, cohesion, continuity, and communication.