Buffer or boost? the role of openness to experience and knowledge sharing in the relationship between team cognitive diversity and members’ innovative work behavior

Although literature frequently argues that diversity stimulates innovative work behavior, theoretical perspectives and empirical findings on this relationship remain inconsistent. Based on self-category theory, this study aims to comprehensively investigate when and how team cognitive diversity benefits or inhibits innovative work behavior. We introduced a new context of research (i.e., virtual teams) during COVID-19 and tested a moderated mediation model using a two-wave survey of 238 employees from 56 virtual teams in China. The results indicated that team cognitive diversity negatively related to knowledge sharing, which in turn inhibited innovative work behavior. In addition, openness to experience moderated the relationship between team cognitive diversity and knowledge sharing, such that cognitive diversity positively related to knowledge sharing among employees with a high openness to experience, while it negatively related to knowledge sharing among those with low openness. These findings enrich the existing literature on innovation by clarifying the mechanisms and boundary conditions of team cognitive diversity and innovative work behavior.