GenXmanager: Leadership for the Generation X Manager

Have you heard of Social Identity Theory? It’s a big challenge to diversity in the workplace. Let me explain.

I never heard of it prior to starting my doctoral degree in leadership. Basically, social identity theory (SIT) is our natural tendency to identify ourselves with those similar to us. We often define ourselves by the emotional attachment we have to groups in which we belong. Here is an amazing, yet simple, example of social identity theory (SIT) in action from the ABC series Better Off Ted.

See how that played out? The cat people and the space people sit at different tables in the cafeteria. One employee decides to break ranks with the cat people and is chastised by another “cat person” for doing so.

What does this have to do with diversity? We identify ourselves with groups and those groups include our gender, ethnicity, age, and social class or status. This can lead to stereotyping and perhaps a variety of “isms” (i.e. sexism, racism) which may ultimately lead to discrimination in the workplace.

My next post will discuss the 10 ways to strengthen a highly diverse team. Instead of letting SIT create an environment that builds various “isms” and an ineffective workplace, I’ll give you ways to use SIT to enhance diverse teams and make them amazingly effective.