Team adaptation and postchange performance: effects of team composition in terms of members' cognitive ability and...

The present study extended research on relationships between individual differences and individual-level adaptation (J. A. LePine. J. A. Colquitt, & A. Erez, 2000). This study focused on team-level relationships (N = 73 teams) and demonstrated that after an unforeseen change in the task context, performance was superior for teams with members who had higher cognitive ability, achievement, and openness and who had lower dependability. These relationships were mediated by a measure of role structure adaptation (i.e., the effectiveness with which teams adapted their role structure when faced with an unforeseen change in their task context). Members' individual differences did not explain variance in team performance prior to the unforeseen change in the task context. Overall, results suggest differential relationships for team composition across routine and changing task contexts.