CRITIQUE OF THE ROLE OF COGNITION
...rse each individual is from the group the more capable the group is in working out problems. You have a wider array of choices and experiences to choose from. Tsui found the larger the difference between the individual and the group on measures of organization tenure and education, the higher the individual’s intent to stay with the firm (Tsui, Egan & O’Rielly, 1992). Method Theories and hypotheses were then created to examine the links between demographic diversity and cognitive diversity. Four hypotheses were designed and examined. The setting was that of a firm carrying out the day to day activities of a company. The sample pool consisted of 159 managers divided into 35 teams. The pool was diverse in age, backgrounds, and nationalities represented. The MARKSTRAT simulation was used. It was a game in which team members competed against other teams in a consumer entertainment market. There were five teams competing at one time. Each member receives a manual with the background of their company. It was the teams’ responsibilities to make the decisions of the company and make it the most successful company. Questionnaires were used to receive input from the teams. One set early in the game and one later in the game. Information on cognitive diversity was comprised from six questionnaire items, where each team member answered either strongly agrees or disagrees with the team’s decision. Results and Discussion The theories were put to the test and several results were derived from the study. Most results cast doubt on the thesis that teams composed of people of diverse nationality, functional background, or age are likely to be diverse in terms of their cognitive processes (Kilduff, Angelmar & Mehra, 2000). Many reasons were discussed to explain this from the competitive nature of MARKSTRAT to the Same Goal principle. Age heterogeneity was the only demographic measured to affect the over-all performance. The greater the diversity of the team members’ ages, the better the t...