oa De relatie tussen expertisediversiteit en teaminnovativiteit: de modererende werking van taakafhankelijkheid en taakflexibiliteit

The relationship between expertise diversity and team innovation: the moderating effect of task interdependence and task flexibility

G.S. van der Vegt, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 21, June 2008, nr. 2, pp. 170-183

In this article we examine the joint effects of expertise diversity, task interdependence, and task flexibility on team innovation. We argue that expertise diversity will be unrelated to team innovation when task interdependence is low. When task interdependence is high, the direction of the relationship – positive or negative – is argued to depend on the degree of task flexibility. We tested this expectation using survey and archival data from 57 teams working in the oil and gas industry. Results strongly support the expectations.