The Effects of Relational Demography and Person-Culture Fit on Group Process and Performance
Stanford GSB Working Paper No. 1728(R)
37 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2005
Date Written: March 2005
Abstract
We integrate two complementary streams of research on "fit" that document the positive impacts of similarity and the negative effects of dissimilarity. Fit with the organization's culture typically focuses on similarity in values while relational demography examines similarity or dissimilarity in demographic attributes. Although both approaches emphasize fit and draw on similar underlying theories, little research investigates both simultaneously. In a longitudinal study, both cultural and demographic fit had independent effects on performance; however, "deeper" value fit effects were stronger than "surface" demographic fit. These findings raise the possibility that previous findings of the negative effects from demographic heterogeneity may stem, in part, from a lack of underlying culture fit.
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