Team Potency and Ethnic Diversity in Embodied Physical Action (EPA) Robot-Supported Dyadic Teams

Abstract

In this study, we examined the impact of team potency and ethnic diversity on the individual performance and perceptions of viability among individuals in robot-supported teams that employ embodied physical action (EPA) robots. We conducted a between-subjects experiment with individuals in 30 teams. Results showed that team potency was a strong predictor of individual performance of robot operators but the impact was moderated by team ethnic diversity. Team potency increased performance in ethnically diverse teams but had no impact on performance in ethnically homogeneous teams. Surprisingly, team potency also decreased viability in ethnically diverse teams. These results have several theoretical and practical implications for the literature on team potency in technology-supported teams.