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Does Gender Diversity Promote Nonconformity?

Author

Listed:
  • Makan Amini

    (Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford, California 94305)

  • Mathias Ekström

    (NHH Norwegian School of Economics, NO-5045 Bergen, Norway; and Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN), SE-102 15 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Tore Ellingsen

    (NHH Norwegian School of Economics, NO-5045 Bergen, Norway; and Stockholm School of Economics, SE-113 83 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Magnus Johannesson

    (Stockholm School of Economics, SE-113 83 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Fredrik Strömsten

    (Cevian Capital, 114-32 Stockholm, Sweden)

Abstract

Failure to express minority views may distort the behavior of company boards, committees, juries, and other decision-making bodies. Devising a new experimental procedure to measure such conformity in a judgment task, we compare the degree of conformity in groups with varying gender composition. Overall, our experiments offer little evidence that gender composition affects expression of minority views. A robust finding is that a subject’s lack of ability predicts both a true propensity to accept others’ judgment (informational social influence) and a propensity to agree despite private doubt (normative social influence). Thus, as an antidote to conformity in our experiments, high individual ability seems more effective than group diversity.

Suggested Citation

  • Makan Amini & Mathias Ekström & Tore Ellingsen & Magnus Johannesson & Fredrik Strömsten, 2017. "Does Gender Diversity Promote Nonconformity?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(4), pages 1085-1096, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:63:y:2017:i:4:p:1085-1096
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2015.2382
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    conformity; gender differences; group composition; skill;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C90 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - General
    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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