Measuring Black and White Perceptions of Racial Dynamics in Management.
Abstract
Intergroup theory includes propositions asserting that language, mean differences, and patterns of understanding about intergroup events will arise as a function of group membership. This research developed an empathic questionnaire through interaction of a black-white, female-male research team with a similar organizational microcosm group. The content of the questionnaire consisted of statements made by people in interviews with a race-sex alike interviewer or in group discussions with other members of their own race-sex groups. Data from 337 managers who had completed the questionnaire were analyzed using simultaneous factor analysis in several populations. Results showed four factors that were invariant across the black and white samples, mean differences between blacks and whites on all four factor scales, and different patterns of correlations among the factors for the two racial groups. Interpretation focused on the explanatory effects of overall satisfaction, ethnocentric patterns in both groups, and different modes of defense used by black and white people to manage the tensions associated with racial dynamics. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA088553
Entities
People
- Clayton Alderfer
- David R. Morgan
- Fritz Drasgow
- Robert C. Tucker
Organizations
- Yale University