4. Diversity Flashcards
Diversity constructs in organizations
Separation
Variety
Disparity
Differences are a challenge
Organizations struggle to embrace and manage them.
Researchers struggle to conceptualize and study them.
Distribution of differences among the members of a unit with respect to a common attribute, X (tenure, ethnicity, conscientiousness, task attitude, pay)
Diversity
Diversity is a unit-level, compositional construct
In describing the diversity of a given unit (e.g., a group or organization) one describes the unit as a whole, not a focal member’s differences from other members
Diversity is attribute specific
A unit is not diverse per se. Rather, it is diverse with respect to one or more specific features of its members.
Differences in position or opinion among unit members
Separation
Such differences reflect disagreement or opposition (horizontal distance) in a particular attitude or value
Differences in kind or category (information, knowledge, experience) among unit members
Variety
Differences in concentration of valued social assets or resources among unit members
Disparity
Pay and status. Vertical differences that privilege a few over many.
Demographic values
Gender, race and ethnicity, tenure, education, functional backgrounds, marital status
Non-demographic variables
Values, attitudes, conscientiousness, affect, dress, network ties, individual performance, pay
The length of time workers have been in their current job
Tenure
Opinions, beliefs, values, and attitudes.
Specially regarding team goals and processes.
Separation
Content expertise, functional background, nonredundant, network ties, industry experience
Variety
Pay, income, prestige, status, decision-making authority, social power
Disparity
Separation outcomes
Reduced cohesiveness, more interpersonal conflict, distrust, decreased task performance
Variety outcomes
Greater creativity, innovation, higher decision quality, more task conflict, increased unit flexibility
Disparity outcomes
More within-unit competition, resentful deviance, reduced member input, withdrawal
Separation Key Issues
People find it more pleasurable to interact with others who have similar psychological characteristics, because that interaction verifies and reinforces their own beliefs, affect, and expressed behaviors
Variety Key Issues
Units whose members draw from different pools of informational resources (knowledge, functional background, experience, range of external social ties) will make more effective decisions and deliver more creative products than units whose members draw from the same pool of resources.
Disparity Key Issues
Status, power, or pay disparity incites competition, differentiation, and (resentful) deviance among same unit members. However, it might also foster conformity, silence, suppression of creativity, and withdrawal.
An organizational unit is an information processing instrument for the organization
The unit senses, evaluates, and responds in ways that are designed to be adaptive to the environment
Minimum vs. Maximum Separation
Minimum: No one challenges anyone else’s position, because each of their positions are equivalent.
Maximum: Members are polarized. The unit comprises two extreme opposing fractions, which may lead to irritation in the team and disputes between the different fractions.
Maximum vs. Moderate Variety
Maximum: Members may be quite open and receptive to one another’s views. Because each unit member is different from everyone else, unit cannot form coalitions with like others; they have to reach across category boundaries to coordinate and connect.
Moderate: Evidenced by the presence of substantial overlap in some but not all member’s knowledge, may lead to problems of “unshared information”.
Minimum vs. Moderate vs. Maximum Disparity
Minimum: All of the members of a unit occupy the same position.
Moderate: Some members outrank and outclass the others, but differences among unit members are compressed.
Maximum: Only one unit member outranks all others.
