The Management Department
Department
Seminar Series
David Stark
Warwick
University
Tuesday, May 14th 2019
Room LE
CLUB at 10:00 am
Theme: “Without
Inclusion, Racial Bias Blocks Learning”
Abstract: Racial diversity is often hailed as
a boon to the performance of groups, organizations, and markets, but its
alleged benefits have been slow to materialize. We study the role of inclusion:
In diverse settings, are members of an ethnic majority reluctant to learn from
members of a minority group? We answer in three studies, in which US-based
White adults are asked to make an incentivized choice after observing a similar
decision by two peers, who are identifiable only by their first names: either
White- or Black-sounding. Unbeknown to the chooser, the peers always make
better decisions, so their choices should be copied. However, we find that
Whites are far less likely to learn from their Black peers compared to White
peers (n=296). We suggest that the bias can be reversed if Whites observe that
the Black peers repeatedly perform well (n=208) or when Whites are apprised in
advance of the Black peers’ performance (n=252). To reap benefits, we conclude,
diversity must be accompanied by informed inclusion. We discuss implications to
attempts at racial and ethnic diversity in scientific, educational and other
organizations. (Co-authored with Sheen
Levine, University of Texas-Dallas, and Charlotte Reypens, University of Warwick).
