Diversity and Social Interaction at Work

Abstract

Today’s workplaces are characterized by interactions among people with diverse backgrounds. These interactions may occur face-to-face or in technology-mediated settings; as interpersonal exchanges between co-workers, supervisors, and subordinates or between business partners and clients; in small groups and teams or as one-off encounters with customers. The persons engaged in these interactions jointly strive for the shared goals of their organization though they may come from different countries, speak different first languages, or identify with different ethnic, gender, or age groups. This chapter explores the role of diversity in different workplace contexts and situations. First, we unpack the concept by presenting the objective and subjective approaches to workplace diversity. The objective approach considers nationality, ethnicity, gender, or age-related differences as biologically determined facts. Subjective diversity, on the other hand, focuses on people’s individual and shared experiences and their practices of integrating and standing out within their work lives. Following a discussion of the challenges of the objective approach, the chapter offers a framework for exploring workplace diversity as a subjective social construct. The framework is based on concepts of identification and othering, the complexities of disadvantage, language competences, and the construction of a shared culture.