Research contexts : A potential means of dissecting the diversity paradox

Despite the intensive efforts to measure and predict the effects of group diversity on performance, research has presented a diversity paradox suggesting coexisting and conflicting effects of diversity. In explaining the paradox, scholars have reached a consensus that diversity may impact on performance indirectly via group processes building up a three-way relationship, diversity, conflict and performance, which has been described as a diversity-conflict-performance paradigm. Whereas the diversity-conflict-performance paradigm may provide a promising explanation to the diversity paradox, the results of research examining this paradigm have been mixed. Therefore, the specific effects of diversity are still difficult to predict. Following a stream of theoretical argument suggesting that contextual factors may affect whether diversity differences are noticed and how people react to these, this paper examines the question of whether research contexts could possibly moderate the diversity-conflict-performance paradigm and how the moderation works. By doing so, this discussion offers a means of dissecting the current diversity paradox