When Both Similarities and Dissimilarities Matter: Extending the Concept of Relational Demography

The current study extends the concept of relational demography by considering both demographic similarities and demographic dissimilarities in supervisor-subordinate dyads. We further examined the effects of relational demography on both basic task performance and extra-role behaviors of the subordi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human relations (New York) 2002-08, Vol.55 (8), p.899-929
Main Authors: Tsui, Anne S., Porter, Lyman W., Egan, Terri D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age differences
Communication
Demographics
Demography
Dyads
Education
Employees
Employment
Human relations
Hypotheses
Interpersonal relationships. Groups. Leadership
Job Performance
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Organization
Organizational behavior
Organizational demography
Organizations
Social identity
Social norms
Social psychology
Sociodemographic Characteristics
Sociology
Studies
Subordinates
Superior Subordinate Relationship
Supervisors
Task Performance
Teams
Tenure
U.S.A
United States of America
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Summary:The current study extends the concept of relational demography by considering both demographic similarities and demographic dissimilarities in supervisor-subordinate dyads. We further examined the effects of relational demography on both basic task performance and extra-role behaviors of the subordinates. We propose that demographic similarity, which engenders attraction, will be associated with extra-role behavior but not with basic task performance. We further propose that demographic dissimilarities that are consistent with relational norms will be associated with both types of performance. We tested these ideas on 335 supervisor-subordinate dyads in 10 US companies and found reasonable support for both hypotheses. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research on organizational demography and management of demographic differences that are inconsistent with social cultural norms.
ISSN:0018-7267
1741-282X
DOI:10.1177/0018726702055008176