Some research conducted by the INSEAD business school examined our tendency to discriminate amongst people.The results showed it is not always the case that we prefer people who are somehow similar to ourselves; however, we are influenced by something other than facts and this tendency is reinforced by stereotypical images we assign to people just because of some outward characteristics: it may be a question of race, age or physical attraction.
Such a natural tendency can become extremely problematic if we hire new employees based on our own prejudices rather than the real merits of the people concerned.
Stereotypical cultural strengths
In a paper entitled Discrimination in Selection Decisions: Integrating Stereotype Fit and Interdependence Theories, the researchers focused on stereotypes regarding Caucasians and Asians. These stereotypes suggest that Caucasians excel at tasks requiring force of personality, while Asians are outstanding at solving analytical tasks and mathematical problems. Participants in the research included South Korean males, white males and ethnically-mixed males. The results were published on the knowledge.insead.edu website.
People make choices in accordance with stereotypes
Participants were asked to choose between similarly qualified candidates with typical European and Asian names, first for a debating competition and then for a stock-forecasting tournament. A group of Korean top management consultants were asked to make the same decision. In addition to the competitions, a job recruitment scenario was also used. In the end it turned out that the decisive factor was whether the two candidates were presented as potential partners or opponents. The majority of participants behaved precisely according to prevailing stereotypes: when choosing a collaborator, they selected the representative of the race stereotypically better at the task; when deciding on a competitor, they made the exact opposite choice.
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