Sensitivity-to-diversity: a moderator of diversity – affective outcomes relationships

• Published date: 12 August 2014
• Date: 12 August 2014
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-05-2013-0028
• Pages: 494-509
• Author: Lu Zhang,Caren Goldberg
• Subject Matter: HR & organizational behaviour,Employment law,Diversity, equality, inclusion

Sensitivity-to-diversity: a

moderator of diversity – affective

outcomes relationships

Lu Zhang

School of Technology Management,

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan,

Republic of Korea, and

Caren Goldberg

Kogod School of Business, American University, Washington,

District of Columbia, USA

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop two new constructs – sensitivity to gender

and race/ethnicity diversity – and examined how differences in these constructs moderate the

diversity – affective outcomes relationships.

Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 250 full-time employees completed an online survey

on their sensitivity, workgroup diversity, and affective reactions toward their workgroups.

Findings – The paper performed a constr uct validation of the new sensitivity to diversity

measures and found that they were conceptually distinct from two existing diversity perceptual

constructs – gender identity salience and pro-diversity belief. Furthermore, the authors found that the

moderating effect of sensitivity to gender diversity on the relationship between gender diversity

and perceived cohesiveness and workgroup commitment was stronger for women than for men.

The authors also found that the moderating role of sensitivity to race/ethnicity diversity on the

relationship between race/ethnicity diversity and workgroup commitment and satisfaction with

coworkers varied by race/ethnicity.

Research limitations/implications – Although common method variance can be a problem,

diagnostic tests indicated that it had minimal influence on the results.

Practical implications – Organizations need to understand how individual differences among

employees, especially among female and racial/ethnic minority employees, affect their responses to

workgroup diversity and diversity initiatives.

Originality/value – Prior research on diversity has generally not examined individual differences

in the propensity to notice differences. This study contributes to the literature by examining the

moderating roles of such important individual c haracteristics on the relationship between diversity

and affective outcomes.

Keywords Employee attitudes, Gender diversity, Identity salience, Diversity belief,

Race/ethnicity diversity, Sensitivity to diversity

Paper type Research paper

One recent theoretical development in diversity research is the consideration of

individual perceptions regarding diversity, beyond the actual composition of the group.

This shift helps explain some inconsiste nt findings in the diversity lite rature. In this

vein, prior studies have examined the moderating role of identity salience (Randel,

2002), openness to diversity (Hobman et al., 2004), and diversity beliefs (Homan

et al., 2007; van Dick et al., 2008) on the ass ociation between diversity and attitudinal

outcomes. In keeping with this stream, we introduce two new variables – sensitivity to

gender and race/ethnicity diversity – and examine how differences on these constructs

moderate the relationship between diversity and affective outcomes. We conceive of

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at

www.emeraldinsight.com/2040-7149.htm

Received 10 May 2013

Revised 6 September 2013

12 December 2013

12 March 2014

Accepted 26 June 2014

Equality, Diversityand Inc lusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 33 No. 6, 2014

pp. 494-509

rEmeraldGroup PublishingLimited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI -05-2013-0028

494

EDI

33,6

sensitivity to diversity as the propensity to notice differences in terms of a certain

attribute. We examine the distinctiveness of this construct in relation to other similar

constructs (i.e. identity salience and diversity belief), which is a common approach of

establishingconstruct validity. We choose Big Five personalitytraits as the correlates of

these diversityperceptual constructs. The diversityperceptual constructs are considered

distinct if they show differing patterns of relationship with personality correlates.

Moreover, building on self-categorization theory (SCT) (Turner, 1987), which

maintain that an individual’s self-evaluation is a function of his or her perceived

membership, we evaluate the criterion validity of sensitivity to diversity by examining

its relationships with three individual attitudinal outcomes (i.e. perceived cohesiveness,

group commitment, and satisfaction with coworkers). We argue that sensitivity

magnify the relationships between diversity and individu al attitudes. In line with

previous research that has suggested that the relationship between demog raphic

composition and affective outcomes varies across different demographic groups (e.g.

Avery et al., 2008; Chatman and O’Reilly, 2004), we examine whether the interaction

between sensitivityto diversity and diversity is moderatedby gender and race/ethnicity.

We propose that the strength of these relationships should be greater for women and

non-whites than for men and whites.

Theoretical background

Sensitivity to diversity

The theoretical underpinning of our study is SCT. According to SCT,peopl ecate gorize

themselves and others into ingroups and outgroups based on group memberships and

develop more positive evaluations of ingroup and negative evaluations of outgroup

(Hogg and Terry, 2000). However, as one belongs to many groups (e.g. professionals,

women), only a handful of memberships become cognitively accessible or perceptually

salient (Turner, 1987).

Many prior studies have focussed on situational factors that trigger and reinforce

the salience of social identities (e.g. Randel, 2002). Randel suggested that identity

salience is stimulated by the group context, i.e. the similarities and differences

among group members. Likewise, Elsass and Graves (1997) posited that the rarity of

representation of any particular category would reinforce the automatic salience

of members’ demographic identities.

A careful reading of self-categorization literature reveals that the focus on social

contextual factors, alone, may overlook p eople’s predisposition to influence frame of

reference. That is, people are not always pleased with their identity as determined by

social context. On the contrary, “they say and do things to try to change the parameters

so that a subjectively more meaningful and self-favoring identity becomes salient”

(Hogg and Terry,2000, p. 125). This conceptu al work suggests that there are important

individual differences in the extent to which a given category becomes salient. Recent

studies have begun to explore these individual differences, such as personality traits

(Liao et al., 2008) and need for continuity (Goldberg et al., 2010). This study adds to this

stream by examining the effect of sensitivity to diversity.

We define sensitivity to diversity as individual differences in their propensity to

notice differences within one’s group. We argue that such tendencies represent an

internal state of individual trait. Just like personality traits, the trait of sensi tivity to

diversity may originate in a social learning process through which people lear n that

they will satisfy certain innate needs from certain kinds of behavior and exp eriences

(House et al., 1996). A person may develop his/her sensitivity to diversity trait in the

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to-diversity