Perceived diversity in teams: Conceptualizations, effects, and new research avenues

Abstract

Despite extensive research on group diversity, ambiguity persists regarding its impact on work-related processes and outcomes. Traditionally, research has focused on objective team-level differences, yielding inconsistent effects. This review shifts the focus to perceived diversity—the degree to which team members are aware of one another's differences—and explores its conceptualizations and effects. We argue that studying diversity perceptions allows us to break free from the assumptions underlying objective diversity research and investigate new sets of questions, offering dynamic, nuanced, and idiosyncratic insights into the processes surrounding team diversity.