Liz Lammers

In my research , I would like to study the effects of gender diversity and status on the performance of a team. From previous researches we know that gender diversity has an influence on the performance of a team. The status perspective, which in my research is central, suggests that status which is granted based on gender has a direct, positive effect on performance. But gender diversity can also lead to status disagreement and result in status conflict, affecting the performance of a team negatively: status may be granted by gender characteristics which can lead to disagreement over the status. To change this status, one can act on disagreement and the disagreement can turn into conflict. This effects the performance of a team in a negative way.

Disagreement in my research is when someone ranks him or herself higher in the status hierarchy than the team members rank him or her. There is status conflict when a team member wants to influence his or her position in a status hierarchy by starting a conflict.

To test these theories, the following question is addressed: To what extent does gender diversity effects team performance and to what extent is this effect mediated by status disagreement and status conflict?

The goal of my research is to test these eight hypotheses:

H1 : Gender diversity has a positive effect on team performance.

H2 : Gender diversity has a positive effect on status disagreement.

H3 : Status disagreement has a negative effect on team performance.

H4 : Status disagreement has a positive effect on status conflict.

H5 : Status conflict has a negative effect on team performance.

H6: Status disagreement mediates the relationship between gender diversity on status conflict in such a way that gender diversity leads to more status disagreement and that status disagreement leads to more status conflict.

H7: Status disagreement mediates the relationship between gender diversity and team performance in such a way that gender diversity leads to more status disagreement and that status disagreement inhibits performance.

H8: Status conflict mediates the relationship between status disagreement on team performance in such a way that status disagreement leads to more status conflict and status conflict inhibits performance.