Merage Prof. Has New Research Published

In a new study, released by Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, researchers explore the complexities of diversity and what causes people to feel that a team or an organization is diverse. In the three-part study, Christopher W. Bauman (UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business), Sophie Trawalter (University of Virginia), and Miguel M. Unzueta (UCLA) report that people can disagree about how much racial diversity a team includes.

The study indicates that a particular team or organization can look quite different to people depending upon their backgrounds and racial identity. One major reason why is that people tend to judge diversity based on whether members of their own racial group are represented. Seeing people like themselves on the team eases concerns about discrimination.

“Our research shows that a lack of diversity may simultaneously trouble some people but not be apparent to others. We believe many leaders of organizations may underappreciate how much of a concern diversity is for their employees and job candidates,” said Bauman.

The paper notes that conversations about race in the United States historically have focused on relations between Whites and racial minority groups, especially African Americans, rather than on relations between racial minority groups.

“As society becomes more racially diverse, it is increasingly important to understand how people from different racial groups evaluate diversity and form attitudes about teams and organizations,” Bauman continued. In today’s world and in the future, leaders will need to understand diversity from many perspectives rather than assume that others are likely to share their opinions.

regions: Los Angeles

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