Age diversity in teams: Examining the impact of the least agreeable member

Abstract

Summary Our research examined how team age diversity can be either detrimental or beneficial for team performance depending on team agreeableness minimum. In age diverse teams, a disagreeable teammate may trigger age‐based stereotypes about his/her social group, thereby activating social categorization. This would result in decreased relational team functioning and worsened team performance. When the least agreeable member scores high on agreeableness, negative social categorization processes may not be triggered in age diverse teams. They may focus on informational diversity with beneficial effects for team relational processes and team performance. We tested our model in three samples (Study 1: k = 81, N = 254; Study 2: k = 109, N = 434; Study 3: k = 195, N = 1784) wherein performance was measured both objectively (Studies 1 and 2) and subjectively (Study 3). In both Studies 1 and 2, team age diversity was positively related to team performance when team agreeableness minimum was high. In Study 2, when the least agreeable person scored low on agreeableness, greater age diversity resulted in lower performance, and this relationship was mediated by higher interpersonal conflict. In Study 3, these interactive effects transpire via reduced team cohesion—another aspect of relational team functioning.

The Big Five and Collaborative Problem Solving: A Narrative Systematic Review

“…In the first, team satisfaction was positively related to performance when mean Agreeableness was low, a condition that was argued to facilitate team performance by reducing susceptibility to groupthink in more satisfied team members (Kong et al, 2015). The second confirmed that under conditions of high minimum Agreeableness, the relationship between team age diversity and performance is positive, meaning that age diversity in highly agreeable teams becomes more of an asset than an obstacle to performance (Luksyte et al, 2022); under this same condition, age diversity correlated negatively with interpersonal conflicts in the team. Finally, an introduction of written agreements stipulating acceptable teamwork behaviors (team charters) was able to enhance task cohesion and subsequent performance only in teams low in Conscientiousness, showing that this intervention could serve as an external organizer of inherently less organized (conscientious) teams (Courtright et al, 2017).…”

“…The largest number of studies observing personality traits at the group-level were examining their effects on team performance. A general conclusion that can be drawn from these studies is that a high concentration of conscientious individuals is indeed an asset in CPS (e.g., Luksyte et al, 2022;Mohammed & Angell, 2004;O'Neill & Allen, 2011;Peeters et al, 2008;Schippers et al, 2003). Not surprisingly, the benefits of having a highly conscientious team are particularly palpable in long-term CPS and when the task is such that it requires orderliness, perseverance, and thoroughness on the part of all team members (as in complex written reports or design solutions).…”

“…With that in mind, we note that two studies suggest higher mean levels of Emotional Stability to be beneficial for group-work results, with small to medium effects (Kong et al, 2015;Luksyte et al, 2022), while one study also found a lower variability in this trait to have a medium positive effect on group performance (Lau & Jin, 2019). As for Agreeableness, the mean level of this trait was positively associated with team performance in two studies, reaching medium effect sizes (Luksyte et al, 2022;van Vianen & De Dreu, 2001). In the remaining studies, neither Emotional Stability, nor Agreeableness were associated with team performance.…”

“…A separate set of studies provides certain insights into the relationship between group personality and team conflict. While mean Openness and Emotional Stability were not found to relate to task conflict (Bradley, Klotz, et al, 2013), lower mean Conscientiousness was associated with more pronounced interpersonal conflicts (Luksyte et al, 2022) and lower mean Agreeableness was linked with the emergence of emotional conflicts within the team (Varela et al, 2008); in both cases, the effect sizes were small.…”

The Impact of Workforce Diversity on Organizational Performance: A Review

“…In this way, the synergies are not realized and age diversity can negatively influence the firm productivity (Pelled, 1996;Grund & Westergaard-Nielsen, 2008;Klein, Knight, Ziegert, Lim, & Saltz, 2011;Kunze, Boehm, & Bruch, 2011). Luksyte, Avery, Parker, Wang, Johnson, & Crepeau, (2022) confirmed that when team agreeableness was low the greater age diversity caused lower team performance. Joseph, (2014) conducted a survey and utilized literature and came up with the conclusion that there is a negative relationship between age diversity and performance (Szatmari, 2021).…”