Collective experience of inclusion, diversity, and performance in work groups

Abstract

This conceptual paper addresses the presumed interactive effects of work group inclusion and diversity on work group performance. Building on prior theory and research focusing on individual-level inclusion, we put forth the construct of collective experience of inclusion, the aggregated degree to which members of a group feel valued by, engaged with, and able to express themselves authentically within their work group, both as individuals and as members of multiple identity groups. We propose that collective experience of inclusion will be positively associated with indicators of the group's performance. This relationship, we further propose, will be moderated by the diversity of the group's membership, such that, as diversity increases, the positive effects of the collective experience of inclusion on performance will be enhanced. Finally, we propose that variation in the degree to which individuals experience inclusion in the group, as assessed with an index of dispersion in the experience of inclusion, will further moderate this effect, and attenuate the positive interactive effects of collective experience of inclusion and diversity on performance.