The effect of team diversity on performance and the role of team inclusion on this relationship

Diversity research in technical teams shows ambiguous results. To gain insight in how we can benefit from diversity in teams, this study aims to gain insight in the diversity – performance relationship based on two research questions. First, it is investigated if deep-level diversity has a positive effect on performance. Second, the surface-level diversity – performance link is explored and it is assumed that feeling included moderates this relationship so that when team members feel included, surface-level diversity will not have a negative effect on the performance of the team. The data collection took place at a university of applied science in a project week with 71 teams. With two online questionnaires, data were collected about team diversity (i.e., gender, nationality, and professional identity), performance, and inclusion. A regression analysis showed an insignificant relationship between deep-level diversity and performance. The second part of the study showed a significant main effect between gender diversity and performance. Moreover, a moderation analysis showed that inclusion moderated the gender diversity – performance link. Lastly, inclusion and performance did seem to be related. For future research is suggested a larger sample size, more variety in surface-level diversity, and a longitudinal study to collect data over a longer period.