The influence of social identity and personality on outcomes of cultural diversity in teams

Abstract

The present study examined the influence of social identity and personality on work outcomes among business students who worked together in culturally diverse teams. As predicted, a negative effect of identification with one's cultural background and a positive effect of identification with the team on well-being were found under conditions of high diversity. For commitment, the same pattern of findings was obtained, but now the impact of identification with the team was found regardless of the level of diversity. No support was found for strong positive outcomes associated with the case in which individuals identify with the team and with their cultural background. With respect to personality, the intercultural traits of Emotional Stability and Flexibility were found to have a positive effect on work outcomes under conditions of high diversity. Interestingly, whereas Flexibility had a positive effect on exam grades under conditions of high diversity, a negative effect of this trait was found under conditions of low diversity.