Measuring employee perception on the effects of cultural diversity at work: development of the Benefits and Threats of Diversity Scale

Abstract

Measuring employee perception on the effects of cultural diversity at work: development of the benefits and threats of diversity scale. Hofhuis, J.; van der Zee, K.I.; Otten, S. Published in:Quality and Quantity DOI:10.1007/s11135-013-9981-7Link to publication Citation for published version (APA):Hofhuis, J., van der Zee, K. I., & Otten, S. (2015). Measuring employee perception on the effects of cultural diversity at work: development of the benefits and threats of diversity scale. Quality and Quantity, 49(1), 177-201. DOI: 10.1007/s11135-013-9981-7 General rightsIt is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulationsIf you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: http://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. Download date: 11 May 2018Qual Quant (2015) Abstract This paper describes the development and validation of the Benefits and Threats of Diversity Scale (BTDS), an instrument which measures how employees perceive the effects of cultural diversity in the workplace. By analyzing employees' perceptions, organizations may be able to communicate more effectively about diversity, and reduce potential diversity resistance by targeting those employees who feel most threatened by the process of diversification. First, a conceptual framework is established regarding possible positive and negative perceptions regarding cultural diversity in the workplace, based on both existing literature and qualitative data gathered in interviews. The final structure of the BTDS includes five subdimensions of benefits, and four subdimensions of threats. The internal structure, reliability and construct validity of the BTDS are established using quantitative data gathered in existing organizations. Our results also show that the respective dimensions of benefits and threats are mostly independent. This implies that individuals who perceive many benefits of diversity do not perceive less threats, or vice versa. This, in turn, suggests that individuals are not either pro or con diversity, as is often assumed in existing literature, but instead may possess a more nuanced view.

Diversity climate enhances work outcomes through trust and openness in workgroup communication

“…Diversity climate, defined as an organizational climate characterized by openness and/or appreciation towards cultural differences, has emerged as one of the most promising factors determining the success of diversity management in (multicultural) organizations. Earlier studies have provided evidence that promoting a strong diversity climate may be an effective way to minimize negative outcomes, while still retaining the possibility of gaining positive outcomes of cultural diversity (Groggins and Ryan 2013 ; Hofhuis et al 2015 ). To date, however, it remains unclear which processes may be responsible for these effects.…”

“…Cox 1993 ) or the possibility to openly discuss cultural differences between team members, as well as the problems that may arise from them (Luijters et al 2008 ). It has been shown that diversity climate opens up the possibility to actively express different viewpoints and display culturally specific behaviors (Hofhuis et al 2015 ), which in turn may increase flexibility in communication styles. Putting the two streams of research together, it is logical to assume that a strong diversity climate, in which cultural differences are encouraged and seen as valuable, is also related to more open communication between members of different cultural groups.…”

Diversity and Children’s Empathy: The Mediating Role of Parent’s Prejudice

“…This study provides no evidence that diversity influences children's empathy without its influence on parent's prejudice attitudes (DE = 0.08, p = 0.49). Prior studies provided evidence that empathy can make someone perceive heterogeneity as challenges and could provide benefits (Hofhuis, Zee, & Otten, 2015). This research suggests Indonesian society to perceive the differences as opportunities.…”

Does functional diversity increase effectiveness of community care teams? The moderating role of shared vision, interaction frequency, and team reflexivity

“…In recent decades, the effects of diversity on team performance have been widely studied, revealing inconsistent results: depending on context and conditions, diversity may display a positive, negative or no relationship to performance (Hofhuis, van der Zee, & Otten, 2015;Van Knippenberg & Schippers, 2007;Williams & O'Reilly, 1998). The most commonly used framework for explaining the ambiguities in research findings is the Categorization-Elaboration Model (CEM; Van Knippenberg et al, 2004).…”