Impact of educational diversity and specialty on inter-organizational public R&D teams

Purpose This study investigates the effects of diversity and specialty on the performance of public research and development (R&D) teams and addresses a gap in research that has largely focused on diversity without adequately considering specialty. It explores the influence of educational background and level, as aspects of diversity, and specialty on team performance and innovation, particularly among leaders and members. Design/methodology/approach Employing panel data from the National Science and Technology Information Service and a modified rank-normalized impact factor index for innovation performance, this study differentiates between educational background and level. It examines their influence on the performance of public R&D teams by focusing on the dynamics between diversity and specialty in leader and member groups. Findings The study finds that diversity in educational level boosts performance in member groups, whereas “leaders” performance is more closely linked to their educational background and specialty. The results underscore the importance of managing educational diversity and specialty within leader and member groups and highlight the need to avoid a unilateral emphasis on singular necessity. Originality/value This study’s novelty lies in its examination of the influence of educational diversity and specialty on innovation performance within the framework of inter-organizational public R&D teams, considering the interaction between these factors among leaders and members. It offers new insights for establishing inter-organizational teams and contributes a unique perspective to the literature on innovation management.