IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ororsc/v26y2015i5p1316-1331.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Choosing the Company You Keep: Racial Relational Demography Outside and Inside of Work

Author

Listed:
  • Steffanie L. Wilk

    (Management and Human Resources Department, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43209)

  • Erin E. Makarius

    (Department of Management, College of Business Administration, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325)

Abstract

Individuals can differ on demographic characteristics, such as race, from those with whom they interact. This relational demography can lead to poor affiliative outcomes at work when individuals are assigned to work together. However, relationships between dissimilar individuals that occur by choice and develop naturally over time may be of higher quality than those that occur due to structural causes, such as being put together in a work group. In this study, we focus on racial dissimilarity in choice relationships both outside and inside of work and find that greater racial heterogeneity in choice relationships outside of work is related to positive affiliative outcomes at work, such as trust in supervisor and extra-role behaviors, through its effects on relationships inside of the workplace. This has implications for the research on choice and relational demography in organizations, suggesting that relational demography that is a function of choice has benefits for affiliative outcomes at work and that relational demography that is a function of assignment or structure does not. This also contributes to the literature on boundary spanning suggesting that one’s pattern of relational demography of relationships outside of the workplace can spillover and relate to the relationships one develops inside the workplace.

Suggested Citation

  • Steffanie L. Wilk & Erin E. Makarius, 2015. "Choosing the Company You Keep: Racial Relational Demography Outside and Inside of Work," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(5), pages 1316-1331, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:26:y:2015:i:5:p:1316-1331
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.2015.0991
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2015.0991
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/orsc.2015.0991?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tracy L. Dumas & Katherine W. Phillips & Nancy P. Rothbard, 2013. "Getting Closer at the Company Party: Integration Experiences, Racial Dissimilarity, and Workplace Relationships," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(5), pages 1377-1401, October.
    2. Kristopher J. Preacher & Patrick J. Curran & Daniel J. Bauer, 2006. "Computational Tools for Probing Interactions in Multiple Linear Regression, Multilevel Modeling, and Latent Curve Analysis," Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, , vol. 31(4), pages 437-448, December.
    3. Pelled, Lisa Hope & Cummings, Thomas G. & Kizilos, Mark A., 2000. "The Influence of Organizational Demography on Customer-Oriented Prosocial Behavior: An Exploratory Investigation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 209-216, March.
    4. Ray Reagans & Ezra W. Zuckerman, 2001. "Networks, Diversity, and Productivity: The Social Capital of Corporate R&D Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(4), pages 502-517, August.
    5. Lisa Hope Pelled, 1996. "Demographic Diversity, Conflict, and Work Group Outcomes: An Intervening Process Theory," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(6), pages 615-631, December.
    6. Nancy P. Rothbard & Katherine W. Phillips & Tracy L. Dumas, 2005. "Managing Multiple Roles: Work-Family Policies and Individuals’ Desires for Segmentation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(3), pages 243-258, June.
    7. Ray Reagans, 2005. "Preferences, Identity, and Competition: Predicting Tie Strength from Demographic Data," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(9), pages 1374-1383, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Giurge, Laura M. & Bohns, Vanessa K., 2021. "You don’t need to answer right away! Receivers overestimate how quickly senders expect responses to non-urgent work emails," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 114-128.
    2. Pai, Jieun & DeVoe, Sanford E. & Pfeffer, Jeffrey, 2020. "How income and the economic evaluation of time affect who we socialize with outside of work," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 158-175.
    3. Andreas Flache & Michael Mäs, 2008. "How to get the timing right. A computational model of the effects of the timing of contacts on team cohesion in demographically diverse teams," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 23-51, March.
    4. Yucheng Ma & Changwei Pang & Haowen Chen & Nan Chi & Yuan Li, 2014. "Interdisciplinary Cooperation and Knowledge Creation Quality: A Perspective of Recombinatory Search," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 115-126, January.
    5. Paul Varella & Mansour Javidan & David A. Waldman, 2012. "A Model of Instrumental Networks: The Roles of Socialized Charismatic Leadership and Group Behavior," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(2), pages 582-595, April.
    6. Bedelev, Bogdan, 2023. "The more, the better? Diversification Trends in Executive and Supervisory Boards in Germany and their Potential Effects," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 8(3), pages 569-590.
    7. Vanessa Conzon & Ruthanne Huising, 2024. "Devoted but Disconnected : Managing Role Conflict Through Interactional Control," Post-Print hal-04553331, HAL.
    8. Renata Borges & Jonathon Mote, 2016. "Is it the Brazilian Way? Extending the Comparison of Public and Private Organizations," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 509-528, December.
    9. Veroniek Collewaert & Harry J. Sapienza, 2016. "How Does Angel Investor–Entrepreneur Conflict Affect Venture Innovation? It Depends," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(3), pages 573-597, May.
    10. Giuliani, Elisa & Martinelli, Arianna & Rabellotti, Roberta, 2016. "Is Co-Invention Expediting Technological Catch Up? A Study of Collaboration between Emerging Country Firms and EU Inventors," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 192-205.
    11. M. Max Evans & Ilja Frissen & Anthony K. P. Wensley, 2018. "Organisational Information and Knowledge Sharing: Uncovering Mediating Effects of Perceived Trustworthiness Using the PROCESS Approach," Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (JIKM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 17(01), pages 1-29, March.
    12. Duk Hee Lee & Il Won Seo & Ho Chull Choe & Hee Dae Kim, 2012. "Collaboration network patterns and research performance: the case of Korean public research institutions," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 91(3), pages 925-942, June.
    13. Belén Álvarez-Bornstein & Adrián A. Díaz-Faes & María Bordons, 2019. "What characterises funded biomedical research? Evidence from a basic and a clinical domain," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 119(2), pages 805-825, May.
    14. María Candela Rodríguez & Guillermo Enrique Dabos, 2016. "Gestión individual del equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida personal: revisión e integración de la literatura," Revista Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, vol. 25(1), pages 219-242, December.
    15. Bruno Trezzini, 2008. "Probing the Group Faultline Concept: An Evaluation of Measures of Patterned Multi-dimensional Group Diversity," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 339-368, June.
    16. Michelle M. Duguid & Denise Lewin Loyd & Pamela S. Tolbert, 2012. "The Impact of Categorical Status, Numeric Representation, and Work Group Prestige on Preference for Demographically Similar Others: A Value Threat Approach," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(2), pages 386-401, April.
    17. Chen, Clara Xiaoling & Lill, Jeremy B. & Lucianetti, Lorenzo, 2023. "Performance measurement system diversity and product innovation: Evidence from longitudinal survey data," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    18. Sinyagin, Yury (Синягин, Юрий) & Sheburakov, I.B. (Шебураков, И.Б.), 2017. "Mechanisms and Tools for the Formation of Effective Project Teams in the Executive Authorities of the Subjects of the Russian Federation [Механизмы И Инструменты Формирования Эффективных Проектных ," Working Papers 061704, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    19. Tröster, Christian & Mehra, Ajay & van Knippenberg, Daan, 2014. "Structuring for team success: The interactive effects of network structure and cultural diversity on team potency and performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 124(2), pages 245-255.
    20. Fang Di & Richards Timothy J. & Grebitus Carola, 2019. "Modeling Product Choices in a Peer Network," Forum for Health Economics & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 22(1), pages 1-13, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:26:y:2015:i:5:p:1316-1331. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.