Pro-diversity beliefs and intergroup relations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Modern societies and organisations are becoming increasingly diverse, leading many to argue that diversity should be valued because it can benefit teams, organisations and societies more widely. Considerable attention in both organisational and social psychological research has been devoted to so-called pro-diversity beliefs (i.e. the idea that diversity has an instrumental value to groups), and the consequences of these for various outcomes. In this paper, we focus on the role and relevance of PDBs in understanding intergroup relations, and review research on antecedents, consequences, and correlates thereof. We introduce the concept of PDBs more generally before drawing a more directed focus on interethnic relations, thereby contextualising PDBs within theorising on interethnic ideologies and approaches to diversity more generally. Moreover, we delineate potential strategies to facilitate PDBs but also outline boundary conditions, before ending with a discussion of recommendations concerning the practical implications of research on PDBs.