A metatheoretical framework of diversity in teams

Abstract

In the last 22 years, research on diversity in teams has been propelled by information processing and social categorization theories, and more recently, by theories of disparity/(in)justice and access to external networks. These theories stress different diversity processes, treating team diversity respectively as variety of information, as separation, as disparity, and as variety of access. We appraise this literature by identifying major problems in the way these four foundational theories are used either alone or in combination, arguing that the related theoretical models are inherently incomplete and static. In an attempt to resolve these problems, we introduce a metatheoretical framework that relates these four foundational theories according to the metadimensions of group boundary and diversity mindset. We also propose a metatheoretical model that identifies interactions among the four diversity processes and specifies diversity response patterns to team success or failure over time. Our metatheoretical approach resolves significant omissions in the literature and penetrates into the dynamic nature of team diversity in more complex, temporally sensitive and synthetic ways.

Racial diversity and its asymmetry within and across hierarchical levels: The effects on financial performance

“…This last point is particularly important owing to the mixed empirical evidence for the economic efficacy of racial diversity, thereby potentially undermining support for greater racial inclusion. Though research on the effects of demographic diversity, especially racial diversity, has grown in recent years (Jonsen et al, 2013;Mayo et al, 2017), this research has been mostly at the individual (Elfenbein and O'Reilly, 2007), team (van Knippenberg and Schippers, 2007), or the top management team (TMT) level (Certo et al, 2006). There is also research from economists and economic geographers, who have developed a rich body of research examining the effect of increasing diversity owing to migration on the economic performance of cities (Nathan, 2015) and countries (Kerr, 2013;Kerr and Kerr, 2011;Nathan, 2014).…”

The joint effects of human capital dispersion and deployment on team performance

“…Conversely, recent reviews of the teams literature notes that the vast majority of research on the implications associated with differences among team members fails to answer the critical question of the factors that enable diverse teams to take advantage of such differences to enhance overall team performance (Mayo, Kakarika, Mainemelis, & Deuschel, 2016). Bridging these two literatures, I provide a more granular analysis of how human capital dispersion within teams is related to performance.…”

“…Much of the work on the effects such differences between individuals can have on outcomes beyond the individual level has occurred in the literature on teams (Hamilton, Nickerson, & Owan, 2003;Jackson, Joshi, & Erhardt, 2003;Mayo, Kakarika, Mainemelis, & Deuschel, 2016;Milliken & Martins, 1996;Williams & O'Reilly, 1998).…”

“…performance implications associated with dispersion (Horwitz & Horwitz, 2007;Mayo et al, 2016). For example, scholars have suggested that differences among individuals in terms of the human capital they possess may elicit conflicting opinions, perspectives, or approaches for handling situations and completing tasks (Cronin & Weingart, 2007;Simons, Pelled, & Smith, 1999).…”

A Common Good Perspective on Diversity

“…This research stream on the differentiating characteristics of individuals and groups is grounded in the observation that diversity is a barrier to cooperation and the hope that cooperation can be achieved despite differences (Mayo et al, 2017;Ozbilgin & Tatli, 2008;Palmer, 2003;Pattnaik & Tripathy, 2014). Sociologists like Blalock (1967) assumed that social groups with different demographic categories tend to compete with each other rather than create cooperative behavior.…”