Team composition and learning behaviors in cross-functional teams

This study examines the effects of two types of team diversity (functional and positional diversity) and team learning behaviors on the performance of cross-functional teams. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementation teams were selected for investigation because of their cross-functional characteristics. The study results indicate that team learning behaviors had a significant and consistently positive effect on team performance. Functional diversity had a negative effect on team satisfaction, while t he effect of positional diversity was positive. Task and relational conflicts were also found to be negatively associated with team performance, but the results did not confirm the hypothesized mediating and moderating effect. Recommendations are provided to improve the effectiveness of cross-functional teams.