Week 2: Van Knippenberg/Schippers: workgroup diversity

Question 1

What are the 2 research traditions with diversity research?

Answer 1

1. social categorization perspective
2. information/decision making perspective

Question 2

What is the social categorization perspective in diversity research? (also called; categorization/elaboration model)

Answer 2

1. Pessimistic perspective

Differentation team members in us and them on basis of ingroup/similarity or outgroup/dissimilarity

Not negative per se; only if subgroup leads to negative stereotypes, prejudice and so forth

Question 3

What is the information/decision making perspective (also called team elaboration)

Answer 3

1. Optimistic perspective
2. Sharing knowledge, expertise and perspective so groups reach higher quality and are more creative

Question 4

What are positive outcomes of diversity (5)

Answer 4

Creative ideas
Better decision-makring
Innovation
Improved performance
Flexibility/open-mindedness

Question 5

What are negative outcomes of diversity (4)

Answer 5

Miscommunication
Prejudice/discrimination
exclusion
productivity loss
worse performance

Question 6

What is diversity on a system, group and individual level?

Answer 6

System = difference between people in organizations
group = composition of teams
individual = feeling or being different relative to the rest

Question 7

Is diversity good or bad?

Answer 7

Not straightforward, depends under which conditions it is used

Question 8

What is demographic diversity?

Answer 8

Diversity on the surface-level (visible; skin-color, age, sexe)

Question 9

What is functional diversity?

Answer 9

Diversity based on inference in experience, profession, education, function level and competencies

Question 10

What is deep level diversity?

Answer 10

personality
Emotions
Interests
Values

Question 11

What are recommendations about diversity and its effectiveness (2)?

Answer 11

1. Demographic diversity is not negative and functional diversity is not per se positive
2. deep-level diversity and interaction with context are more important

Question 12

What is true about diversity research and moderators (functional diversity or task-oriented diversity)

Answer 12

Impact of diversity is NOT moderated by these constructs

Question 13

What is dispersion in operationalizing diversity?

Answer 13

An index (Blau index) to measure the extent wo with team members differ from each other

It presumes that different types of diversity exist alongside each other

Question 14

What are faultlines in operationalizing diversity?

Answer 14

It presumes that different types of diversity can interact with each other

Combinations of different forms of diversity can correlate with each other, causing more or less subgroup formation