Diversity, Tasks, and Structure in Teams

Abstract

Diversity in teams reflects a variety of demographic, cultural, experiential, and personal differences that individual members possess, which in turn influences team processes and outcomes. Additionally, the effects of team diversity on teamwork are largely contingent upon various factors, both internal and external to teams. Of the myriad of factors potentially affecting the efficacy of team diversity in teamwork, two types of task structure—task complexity and task interdependence—are discussed in this entry, as they have been found to significantly moderate the relationship between team diversity and team performance.