Abstract
Facing a constantly changing environment, nowadays' organizations are looking for innovative ways of organizing and managing work, in which workgroups represent a source of competitive advantage. In this context, group diversity has received increasingly attention by researchers. Jackson, May and Whitney (1995) define diversity in terms of characteristics classified as observable or underlying, as either task-related or relational-oriented. Although there are no conclusive results on this subject, researches relating diversity and the main types of conflict (affective and task-related) suggest that relational-oriented diversity (e.g., age, gender) influences the emergence of affective conflict, while task-oriented diversity (e.g., education, organizational tenure) contributes to task conflict (PELLED, 1996; JEHN; NORTHCRAFT; NEALE, 1999; PELLED; EISENHARDT; XIN, 1999). Following Jackson, May and Whitney (1995), we analyzed the effects of observable attributes of diversity (educational level, gender and age), on the emergence of intragroup conflict in 231 Portuguese workgroups, whose members perceived themselves as a group, and interacted with interdependence to achieve common goals. The Intragroup Conflict Assessment Scale (DIMAS; LOURENÇO; MIGUEZ, 2007) and a sociodemographic questionnaire were used. In contrast with the literature, but congruent with recent Portuguese researches (PASSOS, 2005; SILVESTRE, 2008), our results revealed no association between the studied diversity variables and intragroup conflict, indicating new directions in this field, and highlighting the importance of considering different contexts and variables in diversity's studies.
Highlights
The globalization of business economy and the interdepartmental and interorganizational strategic alliances set a complex organizational environment
Following Jackson, May and Whitney (1995), we analyzed the effects of observable attributes of diversity, on the emergence of intragroup conflict in 231 Portuguese workgroups, whose members perceived themselves as a group, and interacted with interdependence to achieve common goals
Considering the influence of diversity on group processes, in the present research, we aim to study the relation between some attributes of diversity, namely educational background, gender, and age, and the two main types of intragroup conflict, given that there is no consensus in literature
Summary
The globalization of business economy and the interdepartmental and interorganizational strategic alliances set a complex organizational environment. Nowadays, almost all organizations are based on teams/workgroups, whose processes have been considered as a key element for organizational effectiveness. As an inescapable characteristic of contemporary organizations, workgroup diversity has recently received more attention, as a result of the internationalization of people from different cultures and minorities’ insertion in the workforce. The effects of this change in the workforce around the world are not yet understood and even the concept of diversity is still under different paradigms and meanings in both academic and organizational contexts (HERRIOT; PEMBERTON, 1995; MILLIKEN; MARTINS, 1996; PASSOS, 2005; REIS; CASTILLO; DUBÓN, 2007; SEMACHE, 2006; TRIANDIS; KUROWSKI; GELFAND, 1994; WILLIAMS; O’REILLY, 1998)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
