Work Style Diversity and Diffusion Within and Across Organizations: Evidence from Soviet-Style Hockey

Does the arrival of culturally diverse workers affect the work style of incumbent workers? We examine how the large influx of Russian hockey players in the National Hockey League after 1989 affected North American–born players. The Soviet style of hockey was largely based on skilled skating, constant movement, circling, and passing. In contrast, the North American play was more individualistic and linear, with higher emphasis on physical strength and aggressive behavior. Using 50 years of data at the player-game level, we show that (i) the number of penalty minutes per game increases steadily from 1970 to 1989, but decreases thereafter; (ii) although Russian players get systematically fewer penalty minutes in and after 1989, the trend reversal is driven by North American–born players; and (iii) the number of penalty minutes per game of North American–born players decreases systematically with the number of Russian players on their team and on the opposing team. Evidence shows that the hockey style brought about by Russian players was adopted and diffused within and across North American teams and players.