What is diversity in a team in science?
From demographics to organizational tenure
This is a second piece on teams in science, the first here on an elemental yet consensual definition of ‘team science’ and ‘science team’
Corporate pop pieces advocate for the multiple benefits of diversity in team performance. However, what is diversity under the magnifying glass of ‘team science’? Is there only one layer that can reflect the diversity of a team? Or are there various layers? Are these variables categorical (gender assigned at birth) or continuous (chronological age)?
A 2010 meta-analysis provided some insights (there is fresh systematic evidence coming hot out of the oven but it is still under peer-review).
So, diversity can be thought of in three ways: separation, variety, and disparity.
- Separation: This is about differences in values, attitudes, or beliefs among team members. For example, educational experience such as high school graduates or professional graduates. If all team members are high school graduates, the team would be considered homogeneous in terms of educational experience. In a science team, it could be referred to as the country of affiliation, assuming that researchers from Colombia have a similar set of values, attitudes, or beliefs than researchers from Bangladesh or Iceland.
- Variety: This refers to the different categories or types of knowledge and skills that team members bring. For instance, a firm’s team of people from sales, marketing, logistics, HHRR, has a high level of variety than a team of just sales. The highest variety of knowledge represents more information diversity within the team. In a science team, it could be referred to as the scientific domain (physical sciences) or research field (computer sciences) each researcher is specialized.
- Disparity: This is about the unequal distribution of resources or assets among team members. For example, in a company, disparity might be seen in the distribution of power or salary. A CEO has more power and earns more than an intern. In a science team, it could be referred to as the career-stage (beginning, junior, middle, senior) each researcher is currently passing trough.
Among the findings of the meta study, authors found that functional and educational background diversity positively impact team performance, creativity, and innovation, particularly in design, product development, and top management teams.
However, race and sex diversity showed a slight negative correlation with team performance, while age diversity had no significant effect.
Interestingly, factors like organizational tenure didn’t show a clear link to team performance.
[Ideas under development, hopefully more to come]
