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P. 85
3. RELATIONAL DEMOGRAPHY
(cont.)
Reward and Career Outcomes TABLE 3.1 55
20 relationships
Job security
Compensation
Advancement opportunities 4 (20%) statistically significant—support
Mentor Relational Demography
Recognition 9 (45%) not significant
Career future 7 (35%) statistically significant—opposite
of Relational Demography
Social Support Outcomes 7 relationships
Social isolation
Supervisor support 2 (29%) statistically significant—support
Peer support Relational Demography
Participation/ involvement 5(71%) not significant
0 (0%) statistically significant—opposite
of Relational Demography
Total 245 relationships
78 (54%) statistically significant—support
Relational Demography
47 (32%) not significant
20 (14%) statistically significant—opposite
of Relational Demography
Note: Support for relational demography theory indicates a negative association between
dissimilarity and some favorable outcome.
not examine similarity based on other demographic characteristics, such
as age, race, gender, tenure, an/or education. In fact, we found no field
studies to date that have done this.
It is important for future research to examine these types of outcomes
because increased discrimination and ingroup favoritism resulting from
diversity and difference is a primary premise of relational demography the
ory. For example, Riordan's (2000) model of relational demography posi
tions stereotyping and bias as proximal outcomes of dissimilarity. Williams
and O'Reilly (1998) similarly proposed that demographic diversity and
dissimilarity, which are bases for social categorization, are likely to result
in increased factionalism, ingroup/outgroup biases, and stereotyping. In
their review of the diversity literature, Milliken and Martins (1996) as
serted that "Diversity in observable attributes has consistently been found
to have negative effects on affective outcomes... suggesting the possibil
ity that deep-seated prejudices some people hold against people who are