Effectiveness of Student Teams: The Role of Team Personality Diversity

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34190/ecmlg.20.1.3064

Keywords:

group-level approach, team personality diversity, team processes, team effectiveness

Abstract

In current educational landscapes, group work has emerged as a cornerstone of pedagogical strategies, offering students opportunities to cultivate essential skills for future professional endeavors. Central to the success of collaborative efforts lies the intricate interplay of team dynamics, with team personality diversity emerging as a significant factor influencing team effectiveness. Building upon existing research highlighting the critical role of team personality in driving team effectiveness (Kozlowski and Bell, 2003), this study delves into the nuanced relationship between team personality diversity, team processes and emergent states, and collaborative outcomes within student teams. Acknowledging the multifaceted nature of team dynamics, this research adopts a comprehensive approach, drawing upon established theoretical frameworks, such as the input-process-output model (Hackman, 1987; Ilgen et al, 2005), to elucidate the mechanisms through which team personality diversity influences team effectiveness. Through a thoroughly designed two-wave methodology and a group-level analytical approach, data were collected from 57 student teams enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses across diverse academic disciplines during semester 2 of 2022/2023. Our findings reveal that emotional stability diversity within teams exerts a significant yet indirect influence on team satisfaction through its impact on communication openness. Specifically, greater emotional stability diversity leads to diminished communication openness, subsequently leading to reduced levels of team satisfaction. This intricate chain of effects underscores the importance of managing team personality diversity to foster open communication and ultimately enhance satisfaction among team members. While our results align with established theoretical underpinnings, they also prompt critical reflections on team interdependence and the duration of collaborative engagements within academic settings. Consequently, we advocate for further exploration into the potential of team personality diversity within student teams, with an emphasis on longitudinal studies to capture the temporal dynamics of collaborative interactions. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on team dynamics in educational settings, offering valuable insights for educators and practitioners seeking to optimize student experiences, enhance group learning outcomes, and prepare students for their future careers.

Author Biographies

Rodrigo Mineiro, ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

My professional background is centered on data treatment, analysis, and visualization. However, while developing my master's thesis in Business Analytics, I ended up conducting research on group dynamics, which led to an increased interest in this domain.

Gabriela Silva, ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

My name is Maria Gabriela Silva. I am an Assistant Professor at ISCTE-IUL (University Institute of Lisbon), in Portugal. My primary research interest encompasses cross-cultural studies, gender and diversity in organizations. I have published in the area of Organisation Studies, most recently in the International Journal of Conflict Management.

Catarina Nunes, ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

Ana Catarina Nunes is an Assistant Professor at ISCTE-IUL (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa), in Portugal, where she is currently co-director of the MSc in Data Science. Her research focuses on decision and optimization methods. She has published in the field of Operations Research/Management Science, most recently in Decision Support Systems.

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Published

2024-11-13