Catarina Fernandes

Harvard Business School

PhD

Organizational Behavior

Harvard Business School

MBA

NOVA School of Business and Economics

Bachelor of Arts

Economics

What is Your Status Portfolio? Higher Status Variance Across Groups Increases Interpersonal Helping but Decreases Intrapersonal Well-Being

Fernandes, C. R., Yu, S., Howell, T. M., Brooks, A. W., Kilduff, G. J., Pettit, N. C.

2021-06-30

Abstract: Individuals belong to multiple groups across various domains of life, which in aggregate constitute a portfolio of potentially distinct levels of experienced status. We propose a two-factor model for assessing the effects of an individual’s status portfolio, based on status average (mean status level across groups) and status variance (degree to which status varies across those groups). Five studies using samples in general-life and work-specific contexts reveal the importance of both status average and status variance, the latter of which has been largely unexplored by status researchers to date. Individuals experiencing higher status variance show greater perspective taking, which in turn increases interpersonal helping. However, higher status variance also increases anxiety, decreasing intrapersonal well-being. Our results provide evidence of the additional explanatory power of accounting for status variance alongside status average, and highlight the importance of considering individuals’ aggregate experience of status across the multiple groups to which they belong.

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Diversity in groups

Fernandes, C. R., & Polzer, J. T.

2015-05-14

Abstract: Diversity has the potential to either disrupt group functioning or, conversely, be the source of collective creativity and insight. These two divergent perspectives pose a paradox that has held the attention of scholars for many years. In response, researchers have marshaled evidence to specify the conditions under which diversity leads to more positive outcomes and explain why it does so under these conditions. After describing these foundational perspectives and more recent work that addresses this paradox, we outline several promising directions for research in this domain. We encourage researchers to develop integrative theoretical explanations, use new technologies to gain insight into group processes, study diversity in the context of virtual interaction, and take advantage of opportunities for cross‐disciplinary research.

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