Social Diversity: A Social Psychological Analysis and Some Implications for Groups and Organizations

Abstract

A formal model of the structure and dynamics of social diversity is presented. It is shown that in order to construct an image of the Self that is seen as different from Others interobjective diversity, the subject of Self, called Ego, needs to co-ordinate his or her activities with other subjects, called Alters. This Ego Alter co-ordination is called intersubjective diversity. This process of construction also needs an intermediate form of social diversity, namely the various social cues which Ego and Alter use to refer to Self versus Other e.g. behaviour, possessions, body, groups. The notion of intersubjectivity is further purified, in order to clarify the difference between a primary versus a secondary definition of social construction; a classic problem in the epistomology of meaning. Using these notions, a number of well-known issues in groups and organization are illustrated, such as the intersubjective construction of truth about Self or socalled justice, the necessary division of roles in teams, and the loss versus maintenance of Self in conditions of work. The dynamic of social diversity has many paradoxical features, and is mixed with forms of social equality which help to support social diversity.