The impact of diversity on the performance of work teams: A global study

Abstract

This study examines the impact of several diversity dimensions and characteristics in work teams (e.g. nationality, first language, team size and managerial function) on their performance. We use stepwise regression on a research sample of 911 sales teams of a multinational corporation operating in 39 countries or territories. The findings show that diversity in terms of nationality, first language, team size and managerial experience has a significant impact on the performance of teams. The study also highlights the broader implications of integrating variables connected with diversity into performance analyses.