New Study Shows When And How Diversity Makes A Difference In Work Teams

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -- Diversity in race, gender, and age can be a source of friction and conflict for work teams. However, new research led by David A. Harrison, professor of management in Penn State's Smeal College of Business, indicates that managers should be less concerned about these "surface-level" race, gender, and age differences when forming teams than those factors relating to "deep-level" differences in personality traits, values, and attitudes.

"We found that, yes, outward differences in groups are quickly perceived and used to make judgments about other team members," says Dr. Harrison. "However, our data go further in showing that increasing levels of collaboration or getting together frequently to perform tasks can reduce the impact that race, gender, or age differences have on team performance."

Harrison further goes on to explain that as team members continue to work together over time, personality and value differences surface more clearly, and demographic differences tend to fade into the background. Rather than demographic differences, the most important inhibitors of team effectiveness appear to be disagreements about such things as strategic goals, personality conflicts, and different levels of commitment to the team's possible course of action. The research study indicates that these conflicts can be minimized, to a certain extent, if a team reward structure is put into effect that places the team's success above that of the individual members' interests.

The study, "Time, Teams, and Task Performance: Changing Effects of Surface- and Deep-Level Diversity on Group Functioning," was published by the prestigious Academy of Management Journal in its October 2002 issue. It was coauthored by Harrison along with Kenneth H. Price, Joanne H. Gavin, and Anna T. Florey, all of the University of Texas at Arlington. In the study, the researchers followed 144 short-term project teams from their inception to their final product delivery four months later. As time went on, teams with fewer and smaller differences in "deep-level" characteristics such as member attitudes and values tended to get along better -- regardless of their "surface-level" race, gender, or age differences. Eventually, such teams also created better team products (reports, presentations, and plans).

"Our research suggests that maximizing differences in types of knowledge, skills, and abilities, while minimizing differences in job-related beliefs, attitudes, and values might create especially effective teams," says Dr. Harrison. He adds, "It's important that team members are rewarded for collaboration and that members' individual outcomes depend more on team performance than their own."

Dr. Harrison's research interests are in time, adjustment to changing work roles, and executive decision-making.

The Academy of Management, founded in 1936, is the world's largest organization devoted to research and education in the management field. With about 12,000 members in 60 countries, it publishes four professional journals. They are the Academy of Management Journal , the Academy of Management Review , the Academy of Management Executive , and the new Academy of Management Learning and Education .

Editors: David Harrison can be reached via phone at 814-865-1522 or by e-mail at dharrison@psu.edu .