UNIT 7: Team Diversity & Team Management

Question 1

Why do we care about Diversity and Inclusion in organizations?

Answer 1

• Diversity is about recognizing that each person is unique.
• It is not only about observable differences (e.g., gender, race, age), but also about internal dimensions (e.g., experiences, beliefs, values).
• Managing diversity is crucial to avoid discrimination and injustice.
• However, diversity alone is not enough — inclusion is key.
• Inclusion: Creating a work environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered.

Question 2

The Importance of Inclusive Leadership

Answer 2

1. Inclusive leadership fosters psychological safety, allowing employees to voice opinions and take interpersonal risks without fear of exclusion.
2. Leaders are responsible for ensuring:
   - All employees feel safe.
   - All employees feel respected.
   - All employees feel valued.
   - All employees feel seen and heard.

Question 3

Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion

Answer 3

• Higher Creativity & Innovation: More diverse ideas emerge.
• Better Decision-Making: Different perspectives reduce blind spots.
• Enhanced Company Reputation: Especially among younger generations who value diversity.
• More Attractive to Talent: Diverse organizations are preferred by job seekers.

Question 4

Similarity-Attraction Phenomenon

Answer 4

• Individuals are naturally attracted to people who are similar to them.
• Similarity can be based on visible traits (e.g., gender, age, ethnicity) or invisible traits (e.g., values, beliefs).

Consequences:
- Reduced openness to different perspectives.
- Risk of forming homogeneous groups and reinforcing biases.

Question 5

Surface-Level vs. Deep-Level Diversity

Answer 5

• Surface-Level Diversity: Observable characteristics (gender, age, ethnicity, physical disabilities).
• Deep-Level Diversity: Psychological traits (beliefs, values, personality).
• Over time, deep-level diversity becomes more important as individuals work together and get to know each other.

Question 6

Similarity Bias and Echo Chambers

Answer 6

1. Similarity Bias:
   - The tendency to favor individuals who are similar to oneself.
   - May lead to discrimination or exclusion of dissimilar individuals.
2. Echo Chambers:
   - Groups where similar individuals reinforce each other’s views, ignoring or dismissing differing perspectives.
   - Result in groupthink and hinder innovation.

Question 7

In-group vs. Out-group Bias

Answer 7

• We tend to categorize ourselves and others into groups (social categorization).
• In-group: The group we belong to.
• Out-group: The group(s) we do not belong to.
• We often view our in-group more favorably than the out-group, leading to biased perceptions.
• Example: Preferential treatment for employees from the same department or background.

Question 8

Multiple Social Identities

Answer 8

• Each person holds multiple social identities.
• The identity we focus on depends on the situation.
• Example: A person may identify as both a manager and a mother, emphasizing one identity depending on the context.

Question 9

The Minimal Groups Paradigm (Tajfel & Turner, 1971)

Answer 9

• People show in-group favoritism even when group membership is randomly assigned.
• Experiment Findings:
  Individuals favored their in-group over the out-group, even when there was no prior interaction.

Question 10

Out-group Homogeneity Effect

Answer 10

1. Definition
   The tendency to perceive out-group members as more similar to each other than they really are.
   In contrast, in-group members are seen as more diverse and unique.
2. Examples
   “All engineers are socially awkward.”
   “All marketing people are extroverted.”
   “All senior managers only care about numbers.”
3. Why does it happen?
   Limited interaction with the out-group.
   More interaction and familiarity with the in-group leads to recognizing individual differences.
   Cognitive shortcuts used to simplify social perception.
4. Consequences
   Can lead to negative stereotyping.
   Prevents accurate evaluation of out-group members’ contributions and abilities.
   Can result in poor decision-making, exclusion, and discrimination in organizations.

Question 11

Reducing the Out-group Homogeneity Effect

Answer 11

• Exposure: Increase contact and interactions with out-group members.
• Perspective-taking: Encourage employees to put themselves in others’ shoes.
• Emphasize individual characteristics: Focus on unique contributions rather than group labels.

Question 12

Stereotypes

Answer 12

• Stereotypes are generalizations about members of a group.
• They are often simplistic, overgeneralized, and may be inaccurate.
• Example: Believing that “all women are caring” or “all men are competitive.”

Question 13

Consequences of Stereotypes in Organizations

Answer 13

1. Justice System Example:

• Studies show that judges give longer prison sentences to defendants from minority groups for the same crime.

2. Workplace Example:

• Stereotypes affect hiring, promotion, and performance evaluations.
• Example: Believing women are less competent than men may lead to fewer women being promoted to leadership positions.

Question 14

The Pygmalion Effect

Answer 14

• High expectations lead to better performance.
• Example: When managers expect employees to perform well, employees often rise to meet those expectations.
• Similarly, low expectations can lead to poor performance due to lack of support or belief.

Question 15

Definition of Covering

Answer 15

Covering refers to when individuals hide or downplay parts of their identity to fit into the dominant culture.

Question 16

Types of Covering

Answer 16

1. Opinion-based Covering:
   - Avoiding expressing opinion affiliated with a certain group.
2. Advocacy-based Covering:
   - Avoiding defending or supporting one’s group to not appear conflictual.
3. Appearance-based Covering:
   - Altering outward appearance to fit in.
4. Association-based Covering:
   - Avoiding interacting with other people in a certain group to not seem associated with that group.

Question 17

Effects of Covering in Organizations

Answer 17

• Reduces authenticity and psychological safety.
• Leads to stress and lower job satisfaction.
• May limit employees’ contributions and creativity.

Question 18

The Tendency to Exaggerate Group Differences

Answer 18

• People tend to overemphasize the differences between groups and underestimate the differences within groups.
• This tendency feeds stereotypes and biases.
• Example: Assuming all introverts avoid social interaction, while ignoring the diversity within introverted individuals.

Question 19

Strategies to Manage Diversity

Answer 19

1. De-categorization: Focusing on the individual by introducing surprising information
   - Emphasize the uniqueness of individuals rather than group labels.
   - Promotes seeing colleagues as distinct persons.
2. Re-categorization: Adjust and replace categories with new ones
   - Create a common in-group identity.
   - Example: Instead of seeing themselves as members of separate teams, employees identify as members of the organization.
3. Cross-categorization: Members of an out group may be evaluated positively if they are members of another in group
   - Emphasize that individuals belong to multiple social groups.
   - Reduces the focus on a single category (e.g., nationality) and increases perceived similarities.

Question 20

Psychological Safety

Answer 20

• Psychological safety is the belief that one can express themselves without fear of negative consequences.
• Critical for allowing employees to share opinions, ideas, and mistakes.
• Lack of psychological safety results in silence, reduced creativity, and lower performance.

Question 21

The Role of Communication

Answer 21

1. Open and inclusive communication is essential to managing diversity.
2. Leaders should:
   - Encourage employees to share perspectives.
   - Promote dialogue across different groups.
   - Address conflicts constructively.
3. Communication helps create an inclusive climate where diverse teams can thrive.