4. Diversity

Question 1

Diversity constructs in organizations

Answer 1

Separation
Variety
Disparity

Question 2

Differences are a challenge

Answer 2

Organizations struggle to embrace and manage them.

Researchers struggle to conceptualize and study them.

Question 3

Distribution of differences among the members of a unit with respect to a common attribute, X (tenure, ethnicity, conscientiousness, task attitude, pay)

Answer 3

Diversity

Question 4

Diversity is a unit-level, compositional construct

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Diversity is attribute specific

Answer 5

A unit is not diverse per se. Rather, it is diverse with respect to one or more specific features of its members.

Question 6

Differences in position or opinion among unit members

Answer 6

Separation

Such differences reflect disagreement or opposition (horizontal distance) in a particular attitude or value

Question 7

Differences in kind or category (information, knowledge, experience) among unit members

Answer 7

Variety

Question 8

Differences in concentration of valued social assets or resources among unit members

Answer 8

Disparity

Pay and status. Vertical differences that privilege a few over many.

Question 9

Demographic values

Answer 9

Gender, race and ethnicity, tenure, education, functional backgrounds, marital status

Question 10

Non-demographic variables

Answer 10

Values, attitudes, conscientiousness, affect, dress, network ties, individual performance, pay

Question 11

The length of time workers have been in their current job

Answer 11

Tenure

Question 12

Opinions, beliefs, values, and attitudes.

Specially regarding team goals and processes.

Answer 12

Separation

Question 13

Content expertise, functional background, nonredundant, network ties, industry experience

Answer 13

Variety

Question 14

Pay, income, prestige, status, decision-making authority, social power

Answer 14

Disparity

Question 15

Separation outcomes

Answer 15

Reduced cohesiveness, more interpersonal conflict, distrust, decreased task performance

Question 16

Variety outcomes

Answer 16

Greater creativity, innovation, higher decision quality, more task conflict, increased unit flexibility

Question 17

Disparity outcomes

Answer 17

More within-unit competition, resentful deviance, reduced member input, withdrawal

Question 18

Separation Key Issues

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Variety Key Issues

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

Disparity Key Issues

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

An organizational unit is an information processing instrument for the organization

Answer 21

The unit senses, evaluates, and responds in ways that are designed to be adaptive to the environment

Question 22

Minimum vs. Maximum Separation

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Maximum vs. Moderate Variety

Answer 23

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”.

Question 24

Minimum vs. Moderate vs. Maximum Disparity

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

Separation reflects

Answer 25

Stand point or position.

The distribution of where members stand on a value, belief, attitude, or orientation.

Question 26

Variety reflects

Answer 26

Information

The distribution of what each unit member knows that is unique from other members, as a function of the distinct content of his or her education, training, or experience.

Question 27

Disparity reflects

Answer 27

Possession

The distribution of how much of a socially valued commodity each unit member has.

Question 28

Maximum separation

Answer 28

Polarized into opposing subunits

Question 29

Maximum variety

Answer 29

Each member is one of a kind

Question 30

Maximum disparity

Answer 30

Grossly unbalanced power, status, or other valued resources

Question 31

Perceived diversity within a unit may have unique and more proximal explanatory power than actual diversity

Answer 31

Individuals perceptions of their social environment have stronger, more direct influences on behavior than does the social environment itself

Question 32

The three types of diversity (separation, variety, and disparity) vary in

Answer 32

Substance, shape, maxima, and implications