TEAM DIVERSITY AND DYNAMICS: THE RELATIONS OF TEAM DIVERSITY AND MINORITY REPRESENTATION WITH TEAM PROCESSES AND PERFORMANCE

Abstract

In today’s workplace, teams are complex, ever-changing, and heavily influenced by team diversity. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Programs aim to increase the demographic representation of underrepresented groups, which invariably influences team composition and, ultimately, team dynamics. An organization should focus DEI efforts on the needs of a diverse team, given the existing research that shows that organizational diversity influences organizational dynamics and performance (e.g., (Li et al., 2018). Nonetheless, the literature regarding the relationship between team diversity and team dynamics is deficient. Research regarding the relationship between team diversity and team performance is inconclusive and inconsistent (van Knippenberg et al., 2004). Henceforth, my study objectives were to examine how diversity - demographic characteristics (gender, ethnicity, age) and cognitive characteristics (education and functional) influenced team processes (conflict and information sharing) and team performance. I used surveys to gather information about individual diversity. Using correlational and moderated multiple regression analyses, I examined relationships. Ethnic representation demonstrated a negative relationship with information sharing, while gender diversity demonstrated a positive relationship with information sharing. Age diversity and team tenure demonstrated positive relationships with team task performance. Additionally, I determined that different methods of calculating diversity impacted the results. This study showed that team diversity could explain team processes and team performance.Keywords: Diversity, Team Performance, Diversity Climate, Inclusive Leadership