Thinking like a chameleon: How diversity ideologies differentially enable cultural accommodation.

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Organizational Behavior
• Cultural Studies

Background:

• Global business requires cultural accommodation, but fear of betraying heritage identity often hinders it.
• Ideologies about diversity can influence perceptions of cultural identity's malleability.
• Polyculturalism, emphasizing mutual cultural influence, is explored as a facilitator of cultural accommodation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate polyculturalism as an antecedent to cultural accommodation.
• To examine the mediating role of identity threat in the polyculturalism-accommodation link.
• To assess the downstream workplace effects of polyculturalism-driven accommodation.

Main Methods:

• Field, survey, and experimental studies were conducted.
• Participants' endorsement of polyculturalism was measured and manipulated.
• Identity threat, cultural accommodation, and workplace outcomes were assessed.

Main Results:

• Higher polyculturalism endorsement correlated with greater cultural accommodation.
• This effect was mediated by reduced identity threat.
• Experimental manipulation confirmed polyculturalism's causal role, improving workplace performance and social acceptance.
• Colorblindness and multiculturalism ideologies did not yield similar effects.

Conclusions:

• Polyculturalism reduces identity threat, thereby enabling cultural accommodation.
• This ideology positively impacts workplace effectiveness in cross-cultural settings.
• Organizations can leverage polyculturalism to enhance employee cross-cultural competence.