A meta-analytic integration of the faultlines literature

Reviewing over 20 years of faultlines research, we conducted a meta-analysis based on 168 studies from 162 papers with a sample size of 24,953 teams. Dormant faultlines are positively and significantly related to conflict and activated faultlines, but contrary to widespread beliefs, not directly related to team performance or team satisfaction. Further, the negative effects of dormant faultlines hinge on their activation; activated faultlines mediate the relationship between dormant faultlines on the one hand, and conflict, information elaboration, team performance, and team satisfaction on the other. However, when controlling for the effect of activated faultlines, there are positive effects of dormant faultlines on information elaboration. The relationship between dormant faultlines and activated faultlines was more pronounced when dormant faultlines were based on demographic attributes. Additionally, dormant faultlines were negatively related to team performance when teams were not top management or board teams and when studies were conducted in labs. We synthesize these results to provide a robust agenda for future research on team faultlines.