Effective teamwork at the top: the evidence from China

Abstract Effective teamwork is an important topic of human resource management, and how top-level managers work effectively as a team is critical to business success. Prior research indicates that the diverse background of top managers influences the effectiveness of their teamwork, and the effects of top management team (TMT) diversity on organizational innovation varies. In this study, we propose that functional team dynamics plays a crucial role in facilitating TMT effectiveness. On the basis of a sample of Chinese firms, our findings support the distinction between demographic and network diversities and the moderating effect of functional team dynamics on TMT diversity–firm innovation relationships. Keywords: Chinafirm innovationfunctional team dynamicsteamworktop management team diversity Acknowledgements This study was partially supported by a research grant from the Hong Kong Baptist University (FRG/08-09/II-22) to the first author.