The Impact of Identity Orientation on Individual and Organizational Outcomes in Demographically Diverse Settings

Abstract

Our present understanding of identification processes poses a serious limitation to diversity research. In this article I present a preliminary model explicating how organizational, task, and reward structures affect the activation of members' personal relational, and collective identity orientations. I further outline the manner in which the identity orientations of majority and minority individuals link to cognition, affect, and behavior of members of each group, as well as to diversity-related organizational outcomes. Activating a relational identity orientation may promote benefits and inhibit disadvantages associated with diversity. I also discuss apparent theoretical and practical contributions of the model.