Multicultural Experience and Social Dynamics

Abstract

The rise of globalization and the international labor movement has sparked the growth of opportunities for individuals to accumulate multicultural experiences and develop multicultural backgrounds. Multicultural experiences have been linked to a number of individual, interpersonal and organizational outcomes such as creativity, intergroup relations, and firm performance. As individuals gain more diverse perspectives through multicultural experiences and as the society become more multicultural, what are the potential positive and negative effects on the social processes? In this symposium, we focus on the effects of multicultural experiences on social dynamics and discuss their implications for individuals and organizations. The purpose of this symposium is to feature new research that “zooms in” on how multicultural experiences shape social behaviors at an interpersonal level and “zooms out” to explore how multicultural experiences shape social networks more broadly. Inspired by the Academy of Management 2021 theme, “Bringing the Manager Back in Management,” these projects extend research and theory on how multicultural backgrounds help managers harvest greater social tolerance and overcome intergroup biases, as well as develop social capital that leads to personal and managerial outcomes. Eat, Pray…Hate? Negative Multicultural Experiences Can Increase Intergroup Bias Presenter: Salvatore J. Affinito; Harvard Business School Presenter: William Maddux; U. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Presenter: Giselle Elaine Antoine; U. of Washington, Seattle Presenter: Kurt Gray; U. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill The effects of multicultural experience on social tolerance during times of crisis Presenter: Carmit T. Tadmor; Tel Aviv U. Presenter: Manchi Chao; Hong Kong U. of Science and Technology Presenter: Ying-yi Hong; Nanyang Technological U. Multicultural Experience and Social Network Brokerage Presenter: Eva Hsin-Lian Lin; London Business School Presenter: Raina A. Brands; U. College London School of Management Cultural Diversity Broadens Social Networks Presenter: Adrienne Wood; U. of Virginia Presenter: Adam M. Kleinbaum; Dartmouth College Presenter: Thalia Wheatley; Dartmouth College