LEVERAGING DIVERSITY AND TECHNOLOGY FOR TEAM PERFORMANCE: THE ROLE OF VARIETY, DISPARITY, VIRTUALITY AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING
Open Access
- Author:
- Gajendran, Ravi Shanker
- Graduate Program:
- Management - Business Adminstration
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 27, 2009
- Committee Members:
- David Harrison, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
David Harrison, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Kelly A Klinger, Committee Member
Stephen Erik Humphrey, Committee Member
S. Shyam Sundar, Committee Member - Keywords:
- virtual work
variety
DIVERSITY
Virtual teams
virtuality
knowledge sharing
power
status
disparity - Abstract:
- My dissertation examined how diversity and virtuality impact team performance. I hypothesized that knowledge sharing was a key team process linking these two domains to performance. Consequently, I developed a theoretical framework that explains the combined effects of a) team member knowledge differences (variety) and status differences (disparity), and b) team communication configuration (face-to-face and virtual communication) on knowledge sharing and performance. I tested this theoretical framework using a sample of 168 teams via a four-wave, longitudinal (panel) study. Results show that perceived variety accentuates knowledge sharing and that disparity (leadership status disparity and self-status disparity) attenuates it. Additionally, face-to-face and virtual interactions among team members have independent and unique effects on knowledge sharing. Knowledge sharing enhances team performance. Finally, knowledge sharing transmits the effects of diversity (perceived variety, leadership status disparity and self-status disparity) and team communication configuration (face-to-face and virtual communication) on performance. Findings from this study indicate two key insights. First, capitalizing on diversity requires managing the dilemmatic effects of variety and disparity on knowledge sharing. Second, virtual communication has unique effects on knowledge sharing after accounting for the effects of face-to-face communication even in teams whose work is accomplished in primarily collocated settings.