Diversity, Leadership, and Motivation: Key Organizational Psychology Concepts

Dimensions of Diversity

All the ways people differ in an organization, including primary (race, age, gender) and secondary (education, income, work style) dimensions.

Skillsets/viewpoints in heterogeneous teams

Different skills, perspectives, problem-solving styles, cultural backgrounds, and thinking approaches that increase innovation and decision quality.

Ethnocentrism

Believing your own culture or group is superior and judging others by your own standards.

Unconscious Bias

Unintentional and automatic stereotypes or preferences that influence judgments without awareness.

Ethnorelativism

Recognizing, valuing, and respecting cultural differences as valid and equal.

Viewing differences as deficient

The deficit model: assuming those who differ from the dominant group are inferior or less capable.

Glass Ceiling

An invisible barrier preventing women and minorities from reaching top leadership positions.

Increasing odds of women reaching the first rung

Mentorship, bias-free hiring, sponsorship, leadership training, clear career paths, diversity accountability, and flexible policies.

Diversity Officer

A leader responsible for developing and managing DEI strategies, training, and inclusive culture programs.

Diversity Committee

A group that oversees and supports DEI initiatives throughout the organization.

Cognitive Dissonance

Psychological discomfort when behavior and beliefs conflict, motivating attitude or behavior change.

Error of Perceptual Judgment

Inaccurate assumptions or interpretations of people caused by biases or stereotypes.

Self-Serving Bias

Attributing success to oneself and failures to external factors.

Grit

Persistence and passion for long-term goals; staying committed despite obstacles.

Authoritarianism

A personality trait involving obedience to authority, strict rule-following, and preference for hierarchy.

Self-Awareness

Understanding your own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, values, and how your behavior affects others.

Big Five Personality Factors

Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Machiavellianism

A personality trait involving manipulation, strategic deceit, and focus on self-interest.

Fiedler's Contingency Theory

Leadership effectiveness depends on matching a leader's style to the situation (relations, task structure, position power).

Types of Leaders

Transformational, Transactional, Servant, Autocratic, Democratic, Laissez-faire.

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Rewards

Intrinsic: internal satisfaction. Extrinsic: external rewards like pay or promotions.

Punishment/Avoidance/Extinction/Positive Reinforcement

Punishment decreases behavior; avoidance learning prevents negative outcomes; extinction removes rewards; positive reinforcement increases behavior through rewards.

Expectancy Theory

Motivation depends on expectancy (effort→performance), instrumentality (performance→reward), and valence (value of reward).

Goal-Setting Theory

Specific, challenging goals with feedback lead to higher performance.

Acquired Needs Theory

People are motivated by needs for achievement, affiliation, and power.