Reflections on organizational team diversity research : In search of a logical support to an assumption

Purpose – Research on organizational team diversity operates under the assumption that team diversity matters for organizational team behavior. The purpose of this paper is to outline this assumption by referring to three aspects which this type of research has conventionally employed, that is, the conceptual definition, IPO logic, and the concept’s operationalization. The authors subsequently search for its logical support. Design/methodology/approach – The search covers several pieces of information: the possible origins of organizational team diversity research, models on group composition, and models on collective behavior. Findings – The authors do not find strong evidence in favor of the field’s assumption. Originality/value – The implications of this are put into context with contemporary research practices and diversity’s popularity.