The Role Of Context In Work Team Diversity Research: A Meta-Analytic Review
Abstract
Integrating macro and micro theoretical perspectives, we conducted a meta-analysis examining the role of contextual factors in team diversity research. Using data from 8,757 teams in 39 studies conducted in organizational settings, we examined whether contextual factors at multiple levels, including industry, occupation, and team, influenced the performance outcomes of relations-oriented and task-oriented diversity. The direct effects were very small yet significant, and after we accounted for industry, occupation, and team-level contextual moderators, they doubled or tripled in size. Further, occupation- and industry-level moderators explained significant variance in effect sizes across studies.
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The direct relationship between team diversity and performance is generally small and strongly dependent on context.
“Meta-analytic work similarly shows that the direct relationship between team diversity and performance is generally small and strongly dependent on context (Joshi & Roh, 2009).”
From Inclusive Workplaces and Performance: An Integrative Review of Diversity and Employee Outcomes (2026) · cites this paper as Joshi & Roh, 2009
Joshi and Roh (2009), synthesizing data from 8,757 teams across 39 organizational studies, found very small direct diversity effects but stronger relationships once industry, occupation, and team-level moderators were considered.
“Joshi and Roh (2009), synthesizing data from 8,757 teams across 39 organizational studies, found very small direct diversity effects but stronger relationships once industry, occupation, and team-level moderators were considered.”
From Inclusive Workplaces and Performance: An Integrative Review of Diversity and Employee Outcomes (2026) · cites this paper as Joshi and Roh (2009)
According to the Categorization-Elaboration Model, the effects of diversity on team performance can be understood by considering the favorable and unfavorable processes that diversity may instigate.
“According to the Categorization-Elaboration Model (CEM; Van Knippenberg et al., 2004), the effects of diversity on team performance can be understood by considering the favorable and unfavorable processes that diversity may instigate (Joshi & Roh, 2009;Van Knippenberg et al., 2004;Williams & O'Reilly, 1998).”
From Leading diversity: Towards a theory of functional leadership in diverse teams. (2020) · cites this paper as Joshi & Roh, 2009
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Inclusive Workplaces and Performance: An Integrative Review of Diversity and Employee Outcomes
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- Authors
- Joshi, A., & Roh, H.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Venue
- Academy of Management Journal
- Publisher
- Academy of Management
- Published
- 2009-06
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 599-627
- ISSN
- 0001-4273 (ISSN-L)
- 1948-0989
- OpenAlex
- W2115638724
- Cited by
- 1,362
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 55 · 2025: 68 · 2024: 87 · 2023: 80 · 2022: 98 · 2021: 100 · 2020: 92 · 2019: 107 · 2018: 109 · 2017: 95 · 2016: 87 · 2015: 96 · 2014: 73 · 2013: 74 · 2012: 59
- FWCI
- 60.49
- 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, contextual factors, team performance, macro and micro perspectives
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