The effects of surface-level and deep-level team faultline strength on information elaboration and effectiveness: Examining the moderating role of leader sensemaking and team prosocial motivation and the mediating role of transactive memory systems

        Faultlines emerge in teams when the demographic and psychological attributes among members align and create subgroups. Faultlines based on demographic characteristics such as gender and race have been shown to negatively impact information elaboration (Homan, van Knippenberg, Van Kleef, & De Dreu, 2007a), performance (Bezrukova, Jehn, Zanutto, & Thatcher, 2009), and general team relationships (Thatcher & Patel, 2011). An emerging stream of research also indicates that deep-level differences among teammates in terms of personality, attitudes, and values can also create faultlines that disrupt team functioning (Molleman, 2005). Drawing on the categorization-elaboration model (van Knippenberg, De Dreu, & Homan, 2004), this study seeks to extend the understanding of faultlines’ effect on team information elaboration and performance. Specifically, I propose that faultline strength impedes team information elaboration and performance by detracting from the formation of transactive memory systems. Additionally, I propose that team leader sensemaking/sensegiving and team prosocial motivation are bridging mechanisms that mitigate the negative impact of faultline strength on transactive memory systems, information elaboration, and in turn team performance.
I test my hypotheses on a sample of 94 5-person teams (N = 470) who performed a team simulation. Results did not reveal significant relationships among faultline strength (composed of surface- and deep-level differences), TMS, and information elaboration. Additionally, leader sensemaking/sensegiving and team prosocial motivation did not moderate the proposed direct or indicted relationships with faultline strength. Information elaboration was found to have a positive relationship with team performance. Supplementary analyses revealed a significant positive relationship between surface-level faultline strength (composed of sex and nationality) and TMS. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Many thanks to Quinn’s committee: Dissertation Committee Chair: Christian Resick, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Management Department

Dissertation Committee Members: • Jeff Greenhaus, Ph.D., William A. Mackie Professor of Commerce and Engineering, Management Department • Jonathan Ziegert, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Management Department • Mary Mawritz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior, Management Department • Sucheta Nadkarni, Ph.D., Sinyi Chaired Professor of Chinese Management, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge • Steve Zaccaro, Ph.D., Professor of Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Psychology Department, George Mason University