Heterogeneity VS Homogeneity: Which is Compatible with Team Agency VS Communion?

Team personality composition is an important antecedent of team functioning and effectiveness. However, it is debatable whether a homogeneous or heterogeneous configuration is favorable for team personality. Integrating the agency-communion framework and socio-analytic theory, I suggest that team agency is compatible with a heterogeneous configuration while team communion is compatible with a homogeneous configuration. The magnitude and configural approaches are integrated to explore the optimal configuration for team agency and communion. In terms of magnitude, it is proposed that the effect of team agency is stronger at a high level of dispersion, while the effect of team communion is more pronounced at a low level of dispersion. In terms of the configural patterns, I posit that the effect of team agency is strongest in a fragmented configuration while the effect of team communion is strongest in a shared configuration. The data were collected from 597 employees of 116 diverse teams across three waves. Path analysis results supported the mediation of team accomplishment striving between team agency and team performance and the mediation of team cohesion between team communion and team performance. The moderation of team dispersion on the indirect effect of team communion on team performance via team cohesion was supported, such that the indirect effect was stronger when team dispersion is lower than higher. However, the moderation of team dispersion on the effect of team agency was not supported. The testing of the indirect effects under different configurations suggested that the effect of team agency on accomplishment striving and its indirect effect on team performance via team accomplishment striving are strongest in the fragmented configuration and weakest in the bimodal configuration, whereas the effect of team communion on team cohesion and its indirect effect on team performance via team cohesion are strongest in a shared configuration and weakest in a bimodal configuration. Theoretical and practical implications of the current research are discussed in detail.