Friends or foes? Stereotyping and competitive interaction within minority duos

Kim, K (2016) Friends or foes? Stereotyping and competitive interaction within minority duos. Doctoral thesis, University of London: London Business School.

Abstract

This dissertation investigates under what conditions demographic minority members in a work group develop competitive interactions with one another. Departing from the extant research's focus on minority-majority interactions, I examine interactions between minorities, by focusing on female duos, or two women working in a work group with more than two men. My central proposition is that when a focal female is stereotyped based on gender, the focal female develops a competitive orientation and engages in unfavorable behaviors toward the other female. I propose that this competitive interaction represents the focal female's strategy to enhance her status level over the same-category female member. From both experimental and MBA survey studies, I find that when a focal female is stereotyped, either by male members or by herself, she heightens competitive orientation toward the other female (Studies 1 and 2; Field Study Phases 2 and 3). Consequently, the competitive orientation resulting from stereotyping leads to the focal female's inhibition of friendship (Field Study Phase 2) and social undermining toward the other female (Field Study Phase 3). Although stereotyping heightens the focal female's competitive orientation toward her male members as well (Studies 1 and 2; Field Study Phases 2 and 3), the competitive orientation toward the male members does not lead to the focal female's inhibition of friendship and social undermining toward the male members (Field Study Phases 2 and 3). The main contributions of this research are 1) providing a systematic theoretical and empirical examination of minority interactions within groups, 2) identifying a condition - i.e., stereotyping - that provokes competitive minority interactions, and 3) demonstrating an underexamined social consequences of stereotyping - i.e., competitive attitudes and behaviors toward ingroup members. This research highlights that minority interactions can significantly impact minorities' experiences within work groups. Ultimately, this dissertation enhances our understanding of microdynamics within demographically diverse work groups.