Stereotype Based Faultlines and Out-group Derogation in Diverse Teams: The Moderating Roles of Task Stereotypicality and Need for Cognition

Alignment of individuals on more than one diversity attribute (i.e. faultlines) may lead to intergroup biases in teams, disrupting the efficiency expectancies. Research has yet to examine whether this can be a consequence of a stereotypical consistency between social and information attributes of diversity. The present study tests the hypothesis that in a team with a stereotype based faultline (a stereotypical consistency between gender and skills), there is increased out-group derogation compared to a team with a stereotype inconsistent faultline. Furthermore, the study proposes that tasks can activate stereotypes, and the need for cognition dictates whether stereotypes are applied. The findings confirm the hypothesis and additionally provide evidence that tasks that activate gender stereotypes emphasize out-group derogation, especially for team members with low need for cognition.