The Attitudinal and Motivational Consequences of Personality Differences in Teams

In our team-based world of work, understanding the effects of team member differences is critical. This research examined the effects of personality congruence (i.e., (dis)similarity) on individual team members’ satisfaction with the team and autonomous motivation. The potential role of psychological need fulfillment as a mediator of the relation between personality congruence and these outcomes was also considered. Multilevel polynomial regression with response surface analysis provided no evidence for a congruence pattern relating any of the HEXACO model of personality’s six domains to individual satisfaction with the team, autonomous motivation, or any of the psychological needs. Supplemental analyses revealed a significant congruence pattern for the emotionality sub-trait of dependence. As individual and team levels of dependence became more discrepant, satisfaction with the team was lower. This study contributes to the relatively limited research conducted on personality dissimilarity in teams and should provide useful direction for team composition researchers. The findings provide further evidence for the need to consider personality differences at the facet level and the potential importance of investigating moderators of personality congruence relations to explain the inconsistent findings to date. If replicated, the results could have practical implications. Individuals putting together work groups may consider the trait of dependence when affective outcomes are of concern. These implications are discussed in detail, as well as study limitations and directions for future research