WHEN AND HOW DIVERSITY BENEFITS TEAMS: THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM MEMBERS' NEED FOR COGNITION
Abstract
In a study of 83 teams from eight organizations, we examined team need for cognition—the tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive endeavors—as a moderator of the relationships between both age diversity and educational specialization diversity, and elaboration of task-relevant information, collective team identification and, ultimately, team performance. Age and educational diversity were positively related to these outcomes when team need for cognition was high, rather than low. Both the elaboration of task-relevant information and collective team identification mediated a moderating effect of need for cognition on the relationship between both types of diversity and team performance.
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Teams are more likely to engage in thorough information elaboration when team members are more open to different information.
“Another stream of research has shown that teams are more likely to engage in thorough information elaboration when team members are more open to different information (Homan et al., 2008;Kearney, Gebert, & Voelpel, 2009;Schippers, Den Hartog, Koopman, & Wienk, 2003).”
From Leading diversity: Towards a theory of functional leadership in diverse teams. (2020) · cites this paper as Kearney, Gebert, & Voelpel, 2009
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- Authors
- Kearney, E., Gebert, D., & Voelpel, S. C.
- Affiliations
- Constructor University (DE)
- Venue
- Academy of Management Journal
- Publisher
- Academy of Management
- Published
- 2009-06
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 581-598
- ISSN
- 0001-4273 (ISSN-L)
- 1948-0989
- OpenAlex
- W2313678682
- Cited by
- 591
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 53 · 2020: 50 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 51 · 2017: 40 · 2016: 34 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 42 · 2012: 46
- FWCI
- 41.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Academy of Management Journal (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Team Dynamics and Performance
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Diversity and Inequality
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Keywords
- team diversity, need for cognition, age diversity, team performance, moderating effect, team cognition
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