Abstract

LOURENCO, Paulo Renato; DORDIO DIMAS, Isabel  and  REBELO, Teresa. Effective workgroups: the role of diversity and culture. Rev. psicol. trab. organ. [online]. 2014, vol.30, n.3, pp.123-132. ISSN 2174-0534.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rpto.2014.11.002.

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the clarification of the conditions under which teams can be successful. To attain this goal, the direct and interactive effects of diversity and of the team's cultural orientation towards learning on team outcomes (team performance, team members' satisfaction) were analyzed. Data were obtained from a survey among 73 teams from different industrial and service companies, which perform complex and non-routine tasks. In order to test the hypotheses, multilevel analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were conducted. The results show a significant (although marginal) effect of diversity on members' satisfaction with the team. The team orientation towards learning presented positive effects on both team performance and members' satisfaction with the team. No interactive effects were identified. Although the positive impact of a learning culture on organizational effectiveness has already been studied and is well established in the literature, this is one of the first studies that provides empirical evidence of the impact of this kind of culture at the team level. At an intervention level, this study points to managers who want to create successful teams that they may be advised to enhance the levels of the team orientation towards learning, creating conditions in the team to promote and support the acquisition of knowledge.

Keywords : Workgroups; Diversity; Team learning culture; Members’ satisfaction; Team performance; Multilevel.

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