Team diversity can be seen as a double-edged sword. It brings additional cognitive resources to teams at the risk of increased conflict. Few studies have investigated how different types of diversity impact Agile software teams. This study views diversity through the lens of the categorization-elaboration model (CEM). We investigated how diversity in gender, age, role, and cultural background impacts team effectiveness and conflict, and how these associations are moderated by psychological safety. Our sample consisted of 1,118 participants from 161 teams and was analyzed with Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM). We found a positive effect of age diversity on team effectiveness and gender diversity on relational conflict. Psychological safety contributed directly to effective teamwork and less conflict but did not moderate the diversity-effectiveness link. While our results are consistent with the CEM theory for age and gender diversity, other types of diversity did not yield similar results. We discuss several reasons for this, including curvilinear effects, moderators such as task interdependence, or the presence of a diversity mindset. With this paper, we argue that a dichotomous nature of diversity is oversimplified. Indeed, it is a complex relationship where context plays a pivotal role. A deeper understanding of diversity through the lens of theories such as the CEM may lead to more effective teamwork.

翻译：团队多样性可被视为一把双刃剑。它在为团队带来额外认知资源的同时，也伴随着冲突加剧的风险。鲜有研究探讨不同类型多样性对敏捷软件团队的影响。本研究通过分类—精化模型（CEM）的视角审视多样性，考察性别、年龄、角色和文化背景的多样性如何影响团队效能与冲突，以及心理安全感如何调节这些关联。样本包含来自161个团队的1118名参与者，采用基于协方差的结构方程模型（CB-SEM）进行分析。研究发现：年龄多样性对团队效能具有正向效应，性别多样性则加剧关系冲突；心理安全感直接促进高效协作、减少冲突，但未显著调节多样性—效能关联。尽管年龄与性别多样性的结果与CEM理论一致，其他类型多样性未呈现类似效应。本文探讨了若干可能原因，包括曲线效应、任务互依性等调节变量、或多样性思维模式的存在。我们提出，将多样性视为非此即彼的二分法过于简化——实际上这是一重复杂关系，情境在其中扮演关键角色。通过CEM等理论视角深入理解多样性，或可推动更高效的团队协作。