Study goals
Critically analyze measurement approaches to cognitive diversity in organizational teams, identifying patterns, gaps, and implications for validity, comparability, and strategic application, aiming to guide the development of more robust and consistent methods.
Relevance / originality
This study presents a systematic and novel analysis of measuring cognitive diversity in teams, offering original contributions to bridge theoretical gaps and enhance managerial practices aimed at collective strategic decision-making.
Methodology / approach
A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA protocol, with a comparative analysis of direct, proxy, and hybrid measures, aiming to identify patterns, gaps, and theoretical and practical implications of measuring cognitive diversity in organizational teams.
Main results
Direct measures predominated, followed by proxy and hybrid approaches; direct measures demonstrated greater conceptual validity, while proxies offered comparability. Significant influence of trust, coordination, and task conflict was observed on the effects of cognitive diversity.
Theoretical / methodological contributions
The study clarifies the relationship between conceptual definition and the choice of indicators in measuring cognitive diversity, proposing criteria to enhance validity and comparability, while integrating theoretical perspectives that link team composition to mediating and moderating performance mechanisms.
Social / management contributions
It provides guidance for organizations to design more inclusive and effective teams, using appropriate cognitive diversity metrics to enhance innovation, decision quality, and integration, while reducing unproductive conflicts and fostering collaborative, high-performance environments.