Multicultural Task Groups: An Account of the Low Contribution Level of Minorities

In: Small group research: an international journal of theory, investigation, and application, Band 24, Heft 1, S. 127-148

Abstract

This study sought to explain the contribution imbalance between minority and majority members of multicultural task groups in terms of differences in personal characteristics outside of racial or ethnic identity. Business students who volunteered to participate in a decision-making exercise were assigned to four-person groups on the bases of sex and minority status. A total of 41 multicultural groups were formed. Aftenvard, participants individually completed questionnaires on the experience and their personal characteristics. Low comnmnunication competetce, low inasculinity, and highfemininity were associated both with minority status and with low contribution to decision making. As a block the personal variables explained more variance in contribution to decision making than did minority status alone. In addition, high contributing minorities appeared to be motivated by needs unlike those of high contributing nonminorities. The implications of these findings for facilitators of multicultural groups are discussed.