Team personality composition and team innovation implementation: The mediating role of team climate for innovation

Abstract The purpose of this study is first to explore the direct effects of team personality on team innovation implementation using different operationalizations for team‐level conscientiousness and emotional stability. Second, although past research offers guidance for the role of team personality in shaping team climate, only a few empirical studies have demonstrated this link. Thus, we examine how the operationalizations of the two personality characteristics at team level predict team innovation implementation via team climate for innovation. We test our model using a sample of 192 employees nested within 49 teams from different medium to large Greek organizations. Our results indicate that no effects for team mean personality are observed, but a range of effects emerge for team personality diversity. More specifically, team emotional stability diversity has a significant negative relation to team innovation implementation, whereas team conscientiousness diversity has not a direct effect on the performance criterion. However, team conscientiousness diversity is significantly related to team innovation implementation via its negative effect on team climate for innovation. Theoretical and practical implications for building innovative teams are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.