Does cognitive style diversity affect performance in dyadic cooperations?

Given the increasing diversity in modern organizations, this study seeks to investigate the effect of diversity in cognitive styles on dyadic cooperations. A multisource study was conducted with 318 students, who were tested during a 2 month in-company project. The impact of diversity in cognitive style on performance (project score, written task, oral task) and dyad viability was measured. The relationship proved to vary depending on the cognitive style – providing evidence for the complexity and multidimensionality of the concept. More specifically, diversity in planning style led to better performance, while diversity in knowing and creating style lead to a worse performance. These effects were true no matter the type of task (project score, oral defence, written report). The implications of the findings are discussed.