Fostering Group Identification and Creativity in Diverse Groups: The Role of Individuation and Self-Verification

A longitudinal study examined the interplay of identity negotiation processes and diversity in small groups of master's of business administration (MBA) students. When perceivers formed relatively positive impressions of other group members, higher diversity predicted more individuation of targ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality & social psychology bulletin 2003-11, Vol.29 (11), p.1396-1406
Main Authors: Swann, William B., Kwan, Virginia S. Y., Polzer, Jeffrey T., Milton, Laurie P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Creativity
Cultural Diversity
Group dynamics
Group Processes
Humans
Individuation
Self Concept
Social Identification
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Summary:A longitudinal study examined the interplay of identity negotiation processes and diversity in small groups of master's of business administration (MBA) students. When perceivers formed relatively positive impressions of other group members, higher diversity predicted more individuation of targets. When perceivers formed relatively neutral impressions of other group members, however, higher diversity predicted less individuation of targets. Individuation at the outset of the semester predicted self-verification effects several weeks later, and self-verification, in turn, predicted group identification and creative task performance. The authors conclude that contrary to self-categorization theory, fostering individuation and self-verification in diverse groups may maximize group identification and productivity.
ISSN:0146-1672
1552-7433
DOI:10.1177/0146167203256868