Ethnic Differences in Context: Does Emotional Conflict Mediate the Effects of Both Team- and Individual-Level Ethnic Diversity on Emotional Strain?

Franziska J Kößler,Annekatrin Hoppe,Kaori Fujishiro,Susanne Veit

doi:10.1007/s41542-021-00105-5

Abstract

Work teams are becoming increasingly heterogeneous with respect to their team members’ ethnic backgrounds. Two lines of research examine ethnic diversity in work teams: The compositional approach views team-level ethnic heterogeneity as a team characteristic, and relational demography views individual-level ethnic dissimilarity as an individual member’s relation to their team. This study compares and contrasts team-level ethnic heterogeneity and individual-level ethnic dissimilarity regarding their effects on impaired well-being (i.e., emotional strain) via team- and individual-level emotional conflict. Fifty teams of retail chain salespeople (n = 602) participated in our survey at two points of measurement. Based on the ethnic background of team members, we calculated team-level ethnic heterogeneity that applied to all members, and individual-level ethnic dissimilarity within the team that varied according to each member’s ethnic background. Multilevel path modeling showed that high levels of team-level ethnic heterogeneity were related to high levels of emotional strain via team-level emotional conflict. However, the opposite was found for individual-level ethnic dissimilarity. We discussed this difference by contextualizing individual-level ethnic dissimilarity in the team-level heterogeneity and social status of ethnic groups in society at large. Our findings suggest that the social status of the ethnic group to which team members belong may impact how ethnic diversity relates to team processes and well-being.

Highlights

The findings and conclusions in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
We argue that effects of high individual-level ethnic dissimilarity on impaired well-being must be understood in the context of team-level ethnic heterogeneity
Team-level ethnic heterogeneity does not correspond to individuallevel ethnic dissimilarity unless the team is completely homogeneous, which was true for eight teams that only consisted of ethnic majority members with a Blau’s index (BI) and proportional dissimilarity (PD) of zero

Summary

Introduction

The focus is on how team members experience individual-level ethnic dissimilarity within their team (i.e., how similar or different a team member is from the rest of the team; Riordan, 2000) and how this, in turn, affects health and well-being With these different levels of foci, the two lines of research have remained largely separate, with Brodbeck et al (2011), Chatman and Flynn (2001), and Leonard and Levine (2006) being exceptions to this. By investigating the effects of individual-level ethnic dissimilarity in the context of team-level ethnic heterogeneity, we shed light on differences in the experience of emotional conflict between ethnic majority and minority workers. Focusing on one without considering the other leaves unanswered questions (Riordan & Shore, 1997; Riordan & Wayne, 2008)

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion