Bridging team faultlines by combining task role assignment and goal structure strategies

Area of Science:

• Organizational Behavior
• Team Dynamics
• Conflict Management

Background:

• Diversity faultlines, stemming from differences in gender or educational background, can negatively impact team performance.
• Managerial strategies are needed to counteract these detrimental effects and foster effective teamwork.
• Understanding how to leverage team diversity is crucial for organizational success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if combining task role crosscutting and superordinate goals can counteract the negative effects of diversity faultlines on team performance.
• To examine the mediating role of task-relevant information elaboration in the relationship between managerial strategies and team performance.
• To provide insights into managing team faultlines for improved team outcomes.

Main Methods:

• An experimental study involving 72 four-person teams with diversity faultlines based on gender and educational major.
• Teams were assigned to one of four conditions based on a 2x2 factorial design: crosscut vs. aligned roles and superordinate vs. subgroup goals.
• Performance on a complex decision-making task was measured.

Main Results:

• Teams with crosscut roles demonstrated improved performance when assigned a superordinate goal compared to a subgroup goal.
• Teams with aligned roles showed no significant difference in performance based on goal manipulation.
• The positive effect of crosscut roles and superordinate goals on performance was mediated by the elaboration of task-relevant information.

Conclusions:

• The combination of task role crosscutting and superordinate goals can effectively counteract the negative impacts of diversity faultlines on team performance.
• Elaboration of task-relevant information is a key mechanism through which these strategies enhance team functioning.
• Findings offer practical implications for managers seeking to optimize the performance of diverse teams.