Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills VALUING DIVERSITY Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills 11th Edition David W. Johnson Frank P. Johnson

Purposes Diversity can have beneficial or harmful consequences, depending on how it is managed Diversity is important for groups There are barriers to interacting with diverse peers There are ways to make diversity among members a strength

Diversity: Can Have Beneficial Consequences Achievement & Productivity Creative Problem-solving Growth in Cognitive and Moral Reasoning Increased Perspective-taking Improved Relationships General Sophistication

Diversity: Can Have Harmful Consequences Lower Achievement and Productivity Closed-minded Rejection of New Information Increased Egocentrism Negative Relationships Hostility, Rejection, Divisiveness, Bullying, Scapegoating, Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Racism.

Sources of Diversity Demographic Diversity Personal Characteristics Abilities and Skills

Why Is Managing Diversity Important? We increasingly live in one world Diversity in most settings is inevitable There has been an economic globalization of business

Group Composition and Test Performance Production tasks Intellective tasks Decision-making tasks

Disadvantages of Homogeneous Group Membership Lack of controversy and clash of perspectives Tend to avoid risk Function best in static rather than changing conditions

Difficulties With Research What attributes are important? Can one attribute make a difference? Are group tasks simple or diverse? What is diversity, anyway? How does group composition and task interact to affect performance?

Barriers to Interacting With Diverse Peers Stereotypes – a set of beliefs that associates a whole group of people with certain traits Categorizing In-group/out-group Saves energy Fundamental attribution error Scapegoating Stereotype threat

More Barriers: Prejudice An unjustified negative attitude toward a person based solely on that individual’s membership in a group other than one’s own Ethnocentrism Cultural Conditioning Modern Racism

More Barriers Discrimination Blaming the Victim Attribution Theory Culture Clash

Making Diversity a Strength Structure and Strengthen Positive Interdependence Create a Superordinate Group Identity Gain Sophistication Through Intergroup Relations Clarify Miscommunications

Summary If diversity is managed well, it will enhance group work and decisions Diverse groups are valuable for effective decisions. We can identify barriers which keep us from interacting with diverse peers and overcome them To capitalize on our differences, we can make diversity among members a strength