Value Similarity, More So Than Racial Similarity, Closes the Racial Authenticity Gap in Teams

Abstract: Authenticity is celebrated for its benefits to employees and organizations, but concerns about fitting in can influence employees’ authenticity. We theorize that people of color (POC) are less likely to experience authenticity than White people. Further, we propose that value similarity—but not racial similarity—should boost authenticity among POC, thus closing this racial gap. In a multi-year dataset of 323 workgroups (N = 1,540), we find that on average, POC experience less authenticity than White people. However, POC experience greater authenticity on teams where more team members share their values, eliminating racial disparities in authenticity. We do not find that POC experience greater authenticity on teams with more peers who share their racial identity. These findings challenge the notion that increasing racial representation will mitigate racial disparities at work. This research highlights the importance of considering deep- and surface-level qualities to improve the experiences of marginalized employees at work.

Keywords: Authenticity; Team Composition; Similarity