How Demographic Faultlines and Impression Management Behaviors Influence Group Affective Tone

In: Small group research: an international journal of theory, investigation, and application, Band 52, Heft 6, S. 676-707

Abstract

Drawing on the social categorization perspective, we theorized that team demographic faultlines increase negative group affective tone (NGAT) through reduced group identification, while team member positive impression management behaviors enhance positive group affective tone (PGAT) via enhanced group identification. Data were collected from 523 members of 101 newly formed student teams. Consistent with our hypotheses, team demographic faultlines were positively predicted NGAT via reduced group identification, while team self-promotion and ingratiation behaviors were positively associated with PGAT through group identification. Importantly, team self-promotion and ingratiation behaviors also mitigated the social categorization processes triggered by team demographic faultlines.