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While extant literature is replete with studies on actual diversity, research on perceived diversity is scant. The authors examine perceived diversity as an underlying mechanism explaining the effect of actual diversity on affect-related outcome (employee well-being).

In total, 617 full-time employees from large organizations representing varied industries in India have participated in the survey-based study. The authors used PROCESS macro for mediation analysis.

An index estimating actual surface-level diversity was found to correlate significantly with perceived surface-level diversity. Perceived diversity was found to significantly impact employee well-being, thereby, demonstrating its mediating role in the link between actual diversity and well-being.

Beyond the underlying processes of diversity, effects such as diversity perceptions, contextual factors conditioning diversity effects need exploration.

Investigation of both actual and perceived diversity improves the explanation of diversity effects. Besides compositional mix, managers must tap on employee perceived differences to understand and leverage diversity and its effects.

Besides contributing to the emerging interest in empirical examination of perceived diversity on employee outcomes, this study develops an index to estimate actual surface-level diversity.

Temporal dimensions of work is about how individuals perceive the concept of “time”. Time is the critical success factor in any organisation. This article focuses on the theme time, diversity and team performance with an attempt to emphasise that time acts as a mediator between the group and its performance in organisations. The question addressed in this paper is whether the different temporal dimensions of the diverse work force affects the team performance. The study also attempts to understand the impact of task meaningfulness, performance norms and organizational temporal orientations on the team performance in diverse work force.

This chapter examines how leader–member dyadic communication in the Malaysian workplace operates at the leader–member dyadic level in the context of cultural norms. We propose a model of leader–member dyadic communication based on the cultural norms of budi bicara, which in turn influences the perception of workplace mentoring in Malaysia. The model is tested by using hierarchical multiple regression with data obtained from a sample of 510 employees in three Malaysian organizations. Results show that leader–member dyadic communication in the workplace is linked with the career mentoring perceptions. These findings partially validate our proposed model and provide empirical support for the central roles of communication exchange processes in mentoring.

While literature cites several distinct studies on workforce diversity and employee well-being (EWB), attention to their combined significance has been limited. Extant work highlights cognitive outcomes of diversity, while its impact on affect-related outcomes is underexplored. The purpose of this paper is to examine how employee perceptions of diversity (based on surface and/or knowledge attributes) influence their well-being and how perception of inclusion mediates this relationship.

In total, 248 full-time employees from large organizations across varied industries in India have participated in this survey-based study.

Structural equation modeling results indicate surface and knowledge diversity to significantly impact EWB. Surface diversity adversely affected well-being, while knowledge diversity had favorable impact. Besides, inclusion was found to be a significant mediator between knowledge diversity and well-being but not between surface diversity and well-being.

Present study explores the diversity–well-being link through the lens of perceived inclusion. Future research should consider contextual factors that will influence these relationships.

Managerial nudging can enhance employee self-control, intrinsic motivation and well-being. Further, managers should note how knowledge diversity aids in well-being toward constructive cross-functional synergy building.

Study conceptualizes diversity from Indian social and employment perspectives, while incorporating inclusion as a contextual factor currently under-researched empirically in the Indian context. Further, the authors contribute to the limited literature on affect-related effects of diversity.

Literature highlights diversity to facilitate cognitive outcomes; nevertheless, there is limited scholarly attention on affective diversity effects. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of perceived diversity on employee well-being (EWB) and contend different types of diversity to yield differential impact. Further, the authors explore how nature of employee work can moderate these relationships.

With 311 full-time employees representing large manufacturing organizations in India, the authors test the hypothesized relationships using PROCESS macro.

Results indicate perception of surface and knowledge diversity having a significant positive impact on EWB. Further, the authors found nature of employee work to moderate the link between knowledge diversity and well-being such that perception of knowledge diversity under complex tasks enhanced well-being; no impact of work complexity was observed on the link between surface diversity and well-being.

Perceived diversity is malleable lending itself to longitudinal work in this field. Besides nature of work, future research may explore other key contextual factors in diversity dynamics.

Contrary to the longstanding theories such as social categorization/similarity attraction, the authors found surface diversity to positively influence EWB. This indicates firms’ effective diversity management strategies in creating inclusive workplace. Further, the authors draw implications around team design and workforce composition.

While the scholarly attention to perceived diversity is gradually growing, in a first, the authors empirically examine the impact of diversity perceptions on employee affect in the context of Indian manufacturing firms.

While diversification within organisations is seen by many to be a strategic move, there is conflicting evidence about what makes diverse teams successful. The purpose of this paper is to highlight a range of complex, and in some cases contradictory, research contributions towards several key areas of diversity within teams, and to propose a framework for integrating existing approaches and clarifying inconsistencies in this domain.

A literature review was conducted to explore several key areas of surface and deep-level diversity in teams, with the discussion included in this paper highlighting many of the inconsistencies and complexities associated with this research domain.

This review highlights the need for future research to look at the effects of surface and deep-level diversity simultaneously, over time, across multiple levels and with a broad range of contextual moderators, to examine their impact on a range of outcomes.

In order to account for the complexities within diversity research, the authors propose the use of the job demands-resources (JDR) model which suggests possible explanations for inconsistent findings and bridges the gap between commonly used theoretical perspectives.

We aim to explore whether demographic groups of varying status positions differ in terms of their perception of work group members’ openness to deep-level and surface-level diversity. We also explore the effect that task group conflict and relational group conflict have on perceptions of openness to diversity.

Quantitative analysis of responses from 489 academics in multicultural university departments is applied. A comparison is made of different demographic groups based on age, nationality, and seniority with regard to perceptions of work group members’ openness to diversity. Specifically, we focused on perceptions of the work group’s openness to value dissimilarity (deep-level) and openness to visible dissimilarity (surface-level).

We found that there are indeed differences between demographic groups with regard to perceptions of the work group’s openness to value dissimilarities. No significant differences could be found in relation to openness to visual dissimilarities for any of the demographic sub-samples. We also found that there were differential effects of contextual adverse circumstances in the form of relational group conflict and task group conflict on the perceptions of the two types of work group openness to diversity.

The knowledge that different demographical groups perceive their peers’ openness to diversity differently is an important insight when decisions regarding diversity issues have to be taken.

Few studies have focused on perceptions of diversity. This is an important omission because individuals often act upon their perceptions, rather than on objective reality.

This study emphasises the importance of both literal and figurative interpretations in explaining training and adjustment (cross-cultural) diversity in a multinational enterprise (MNE) context.

The study employs structural equation models applied to employees relocated to a Malaysian subsidiary. It emphasises the importance of distinguishing between measurement, analysis and interpretation. This distinction highlights the need to not only directly quantify variables but also indirectly interpret their relationships to address diversity.

The findings underscore the significance of figurative interpretation in understanding diversity, particularly at the micro level. Literal interpretation focuses on direct analysis, while figurative interpretation involves an indirect analysis where diversity may not be immediately evident. The study suggests that considering both macro and micro levels is essential in understanding training and adjustment diversity.

This study offers a novel perspective by incorporating both literal and figurative interpretations to deepen the understanding of diversity in international business contexts. It uniquely positions itself by distinguishing between the direct quantification of variables and the indirect interpretation of their relationships. This dual approach enables a more comprehensive understanding of how training, adjustment, compliance with standards and commitment to expectations interact within MNEs. By advocating for figurative interpretation, the study encourages a more holistic analysis that extends beyond surface-level metrics, providing valuable insights for future research. It also paves the way for practitioners to develop strategies that not only address diversity at both macro and micro levels but also foster adaptability within culturally diverse work environments.

Supply chain (SC) professionals are increasingly working alongside business partners of diverse backgrounds, which has been argued to engender both innovation and creativity but also found as potentially detrimental to SC relationships and performance. To reconcile these views, this study explores two mechanisms – supplementary (similarity) and complementary fits – at the surface (observable traits) and deep (unobservable characteristics) levels and their impact on a focal firm representative’s perception of a SC partner’s trustworthiness.

Model was tested using survey data from 285 managers involved in interorganizational SC relationships.

Results indicate that a focal firm representative’s perception of supplementary and complementary fits with a SC partner positively impacts their perception of the partner’s trustworthiness. However, the effects of similarity at both surface and deep levels and complementarity weaken each other.

Understanding the mechanisms of diversity in SC relationships is crucial for fostering trustworthiness and achieving organizational objectives. Firms should evaluate both supplementary and complementary fits when hiring or assigning roles. Embracing a complementary fit not only promotes diversity but also mitigates the negative impact of similarity bias, ultimately strengthening trustworthiness within the organization's SC ecosystem.

By simultaneously examining individual and combined effects of two unique mechanisms of supplementarity and complementarity at the surface and deep levels, this study sheds light on inconsistent findings of the effects of diversity in the SCM literature.