Challenging demographic reductionism: A pilot study investigating diversity in group composition

Rodriguez (1998) examined the impact of within-group value diversity on personal satisfaction, group creativity, and group effectiveness. 11 groups of undergraduate students participated. The characteristics of team members were summarized by measures of central tendency or dispersion, thereby yielding measurement of team properties. Individual participants were initially administered the Rokeach Value Survey. Groups were assigned 1 of 2 management cases. They were instructed to "analyze the situation, identify the key variables, identify alternative solutions, and present and defend a singular course of action before an audience composed of student-observers who have been assigned the alternate case." The groups had 12 wks between the time of initial assignments until the presentation due date. Student observers evaluated each presentation for style and content, using an evaluation form. After accounting for diversity in race/nationality, gender and age, value diversity predicted greater personal satisfaction, and higher perceived group creativity and effectiveness. The authors conclude that the results indicate that organizations should be more discerning in how they think about demographic and value diversity, in terms of both strategy and potential benefits.

Rodriguez, Ralph A. (1998) Challenging demographic reductionism: A pilot study investigating diversity in group composition. Small Group Research. Vol. 29 744-759