The relationship between work-team personality composition and the job performance of teams

In this study, the authors investigated the relationship between work team effectiveness and two distinct aspects of the personality composition of te ams: (a) the average level of a given trait within a team, referred to as r eam personality elevation (TPE); and (b) the variability or differences in personality traits found within a team, or team personality diversity (TPD) . Retail assistants (N = 328) working in 82 teams were assessed on a broad range of traits organized around the framework of the Big Five personality factors. Across the set of Big Five traits, TPE and TPD predicted unique va riance in ratings of team job performance. For each specific trait of the B ig Rye, either TPE or TPD predicted team performance. For the traits of con scientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience, TPE was positive ly related to team performance; TPD of extraversion and emotional stability was positively related to team performance.