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The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of perceived group inclusion on the innovative work behavior of consulting team members, as well as to analyze its subsequent impact on team performance. In addition, the authors investigate whether the effect of perceived group inclusion on innovative work behavior could be moderated by two aspects of team characteristics: team size and the gender composition of its members.

The authors collected questionnaire data from 229 team members from 24 consulting firms located in Bangkok, Thailand. Team performance was assessed by team leaders to prevent common method bias. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.

The results support the positive association between perceived group inclusion and innovative work behavior among consulting team members. Innovative work behavior also mediates the positive association between perceived group inclusion and team performance. Moreover, the authors found that the degree to which perceived group inclusion affects innovative work behavior is stronger in larger teams than smaller teams. However, the degree to which perceived group inclusion affects innovative work behavior tends to be weaker in teams that have a higher proportion of female members than in teams that have fewer female members.

Because employees are the most valuable asset contributing to the innovative performance of consulting firms, it is crucial to understand how members within a team should be properly managed so that the firms can maximize the benefits from their human capital. Essentially, management and practitioners in the consulting business can use the insight from this research regarding the essential roles of group inclusion and team composition to create a favorable and effective team environment that enhances collaboration and helps their firms to gain the full benefits of team synergy. In particular, group inclusion is the issue that management should emphasize. Moreover, the team should be large enough and have a decent level of gender diversity to strengthen the benefit of group inclusion.

The research extends the knowledge boundary in inclusion research, which still lacks evidence about the moderating role of team characteristics that might strengthen/weaken the effect of perceived group inclusion on innovative behaviors.

The study intends to examine the generational differences between GenY and GenZ Indian generational cohorts on the study variables, i.e. core self-evaluations (CSE), team cohesion, organizational culture and team performance. Further, the present research aims to analyze the impact of CSE, team cohesion and organizational culture on team performance as antecedents.

The study has adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey method where the data were collected from Indian working professionals who belonged to GenY and GenZ generational cohorts. Further, a total of 370 responses were received, and thereafter, the data were analyzed by employing significant statistical tests such as exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM) and an independent samples t-test.

The study results revealed that GenY and GenZ cohorts significantly differ on CSE, team cohesion and organizational culture. However, no significant difference was reported in team performance between these two generational cohorts. Also, the study results disclosed that CSE, team cohesion and organizational culture positively influence team performance by acting as its determinants.

The study reports differences between GenY and GenZ that would assist managers in effectively dealing with these generational cohorts and formulating human resource (HR) policies that can accommodate the needs of these two cohorts. Additionally, the study benefits managers by highlighting the importance of core-self evaluations, team cohesion and organizational culture to enhance team performance.

Existing research depicts that there lies a paucity of generational studies in the Indian context. The present study attempts to address this lacuna by putting pioneering efforts into this field. The main contribution of the study lies in empirically investigating the Indian generational cohorts (GenY and GenZ) in the organizations. Further, the study has also conceptualized and examined a team performance model by considering factors at three levels (individual, team and organization).