Social Networks and Racial and Ethnic Boundaries in Organizations

Abstract

In the era of globalization, researchers and practitioners alike advocate racial and ethnic diversity in organizations as a way of increasing equality, creativity, and productivity as well as in order to enhance the quality of decision making. Nevertheless, organizations, both domestic and global, remain less diverse than anticipated, especially in the context of a mobile global world. This entry employs the analytical concepts of group boundaries and social closure to better understand racial and ethnic diversity in organizations. In particular, we examine the role social networks play in maintaining ethnic and racial boundaries and how they act as a potent mechanism by which power and status dynamics are continuously reproduced in organizational contexts. Some of the immediate manifestations of those power and status dynamics are discussed, as well as their implications for the management of a diverse workforce.