cultural diversity at work? mini-review:
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DEALING WITH DIFFERENCES: THE IMPACT OF DIVERSITY PERCEPTIONS ON ASSESSMENT OF MINORITY EMPLOYEES Joep Hofhuis University of Amsterdam Karen van der Zee University of Twente Sabine Otten University of Groningen. Cultural Diversity at work? Mini-review:. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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DEALING WITH DIFFERENCES: THE IMPACT OF DIVERSITY PERCEPTIONS ON ASSESSMENT OF MINORITY EMPLOYEES
Joep Hofhuis University of AmsterdamKaren van der Zee University of TwenteSabine Otten University of Groningen
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CULTURAL DIVERSITY AT WORK? MINI-REVIEW:
Diversity is a ‘double-edged sword’
Positive outcomes Innovation, creativity, learning potential, etc. (Nakui, Paulus & Van der Zee, 2011; Van Knippenberg, de Dreu, & Homan, 2004; Ely & Thomas, 2001)
Negative outcomes Decreased cohesion, miscommunication, stereotyping, threat, conflict, etc.(Fiske, 1998; Jehn & Bezrukova, 2004; Milliken & Martins, 1996)
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CULTURAL DIVERSITY AT WORK? MINI-REVIEW:
Diversity is a ‘double-edged sword’
Positive outcomes Innovation, creativity, learning potential, etc. (Nakui, Paulus & Van der Zee, 2011; Van Knippenberg, de Dreu, & Homan, 2004; Ely & Thomas, 2001)
Negative outcomes Decreased cohesion, miscommunication, stereotyping, threat, conflict, etc.(Fiske, 1998; Jehn & Bezrukova, 2004; Milliken & Martins, 1996)
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CULTURAL DIVERSITY AT WORK? MINI-REVIEW:
Diversity is a ‘double-edged sword’
Positive outcomes Innovation, creativity, learning potential, etc. (Nakui, Paulus & Van der Zee, 2011; Van Knippenberg, de Dreu, & Homan, 2004; Ely & Thomas, 2001)
Negative outcomes Decreased cohesion, miscommunication, stereotyping, threat, conflict, etc.(Fiske, 1998; Jehn & Bezrukova, 2004; Milliken & Martins, 1996)
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CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN SELECTION AND ASSESSMENT:
- Recruiters generally prefer similarity (Ployhart & Holtz, 2008).
- Similarity bias occurs for many characteristics, such as gender, age, ethnic background, language accent.
- Cultural background is a strong source of perceived dissimilarity, thus minority members, on average, are disadvantaged in selection/assessment procedures. (Turban & Jones, 1988)
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IMPACT OF MINORITY MEMBER’S CULTURAL MAINTENANCE
- Cultural maintenance (CM) = the extent to which cultural identity and characteristics are considered to be important to the individual, and to which their maintenance is strived for. (Berry, 2000)
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IMPACT OF MINORITY MEMBER’S CULTURAL MAINTENANCE
- Cultural maintenance (CM) = the extent to which cultural identity and characteristics are considered to be important to the individual, and to which their maintenance is strived for. (Berry, 2000)
- High CM: Minority employee prefers to express their cultural heritage- Low CM: Minority employee prefers to adapt to the majority culture
- In selection and assessment, high CM is associated with less similarity, reducing chances of being hired. (De Vroome & Tubergen, 2010)
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IMPACT OF MINORITY MEMBER’S CULTURAL MAINTENANCE
- Recruiters prefer to hire minority members who adapt to the majority, as it reduces risk of negative outcomes of diversity.
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IMPACT OF MINORITY MEMBER’S CULTURAL MAINTENANCE
- Recruiters prefer to hire minority members who adapt to the majority, as it reduces risk of negative outcomes of diversity.
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IMPACT OF MINORITY MEMBER’S CULTURAL MAINTENANCE
- Recruiters prefer to hire minority members who adapt to the majority, as it reduces risk of negative outcomes of diversity.
- What about the positive outcomes of diversity?
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IMPACT OF MINORITY MEMBER’S CULTURAL MAINTENANCE
- Recruiters prefer to hire minority members who adapt to the majority, as it reduces risk of negative outcomes of diversity.
- What about the positive outcomes of diversity?
- What happens to selection process when recruiters are primed towards positive vs. negative Perceived Diversity Outcomes (PDO)?
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HYPOTHESIS
- Positive prime recruiters recognize added value of CM, thus preferring candidates who express cultural heritage.
- Negative prime recruiters avoid risks associated with diversity, thus preferring candidates who adapt to majority culture.
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METHODS
Participants (n = 99; Age: M = 31; SD = 12.3; 83% highly educated) played the role of recruiters in a fictional assessment task
Manipulation of Perceived Diversity Outcomes1)Individual brainstorm: write down at least two POS/NEG outcomes of diversity2)Group discussion: in groups of 3, discuss POS/NEG outcomes which organizations should AIM FOR/AVOID
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METHODS
Assessment Task:4 fictional profiles of minority candidates, including name, date of birth
Competence Level: High CL: University degree, 4-5 years experienceLow CL: HBO degree, 1-2 years experience
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METHODS
Assessment Task:4 fictional profiles of minority candidates, including name, date of birth
Short citation from motivation letter, which included:
Low CM: “I find it useful to adapt to other people, and I believe my cultural background is not relevant in my work”
High CM: “I find it useful to be different from other people, I believe I can make use of my unique cultural background in my work”
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METHODS
Measures:
Social Rating = Do you believe this candidate would fit well in the team? (2 items, r = .84)
Task Rating = Do you believe this candidate is qualified for the job?(2 items, r = .82)
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RESULTS
Social Rating:
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RESULTS
Task Rating:
Low Competence Level
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RESULTS
Task Rating:
High Competence Level
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CONCLUSIONS
- Recruiters’ tendency towards hiring minority candidates with low cultural maintenance can be circumvented by promoting Positive Diversity Outcomes.
- Recruiters who view diversity as beneficial for the organization may hire individuals who are different, which is essential for increasing learning potential, innovation in teams.
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TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
THE SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY OF DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT:
Positive framing of diversity may
A) Lead recruiters to be more open towards differences…B) …thus opening up the possibilities for actually taking advantage of diversity
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION