Most contemporary workplaces require extensive work in group settings. When people work in groups, they need to establish a common way of looking at and accomplishing the major tasks, and they need to communicate with one another often. In some cases, diversity in traits can hurt team performance, whereas in others it can facilitate performance. Whether diverse or homogeneous teams are more effective depends on the characteristic of interest.

Teams of individuals who are highly intelligent, conscientious, and interested in working in team settings are more effective. Groups of individuals with different types of expertise and education are more effective than homogeneous groups. Similarly, a group made entirely of assertive people who want to be in charge or a group whose members all prefer to follow the lead of others will be less effective than a group that mixes leaders and followers. Regardless of the composition of the group, differences can be leveraged to achieve superior performance.