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Small Group Research
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The Effects of Demographic Differences on Forming Intragroup Relationships

M. Alix Valenti

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Tracey Rockett

University of Texas at Dallas

Group behavior research suggests that differences among group members cause individuals to interact in ways that may enhance or weaken group performance. Dissimilarities among members may cause the development of negative attitudes about work groups, leading to dysfunctional performance. Network theorists have found that demographic factors influence individuals' tendency to form network ties within their organizations. This article bridges these findings, examining whether work group demographic differences affect a group member's tendency to form network ties with other group members or outside the work unit. In a study of 49 employees at a Midwest consulting firm, individual differences in sex and tenure predicted whether employees interacted within their work groups on advice and friendship dimensions, respectively, but did not affect the establishment of working relationships. Increased group heterogeneity tended to reduce the effect of demographic differences. Longer-service men were more likely to forge relationships within the work group than were short-term or female workers.

Key Words: relational demography • organizational diversity • social networks • group heterogeneity • professional service firms

Small Group Research, Vol. 39, No. 2, 179-202 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1046496408315981
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