Personality and Team Performance in Distributed Virtual Environments

Abstract

Researchers have correlated personality with team performance in aviation, business, the military, and other domains. The present study expanded this line of research to evaluate personality and team performance in a series of virtual environment (VE) scenarios. Teams of 2 participants completed multiple missions, patterned after anti-terrorist training for police and military, over 2 days. Team personality compositions (average levels and diversity), based on the five factor model (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness), were compared for high- and low- performing teams. Results supported the hypothesis that high-performing teams would exhibit higher mean levels of extraversion than low-performing teams, but did not support predictions related to neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and team personality diversity. Findings have implications for future VE team training and distributed simulations.