In-Group and Out-Group Communication Patterns in International Organizations

This study sought to find out whether social distance associated with social identity manifests itself in intergroup differentiation in communication patterns in multiple types of communication networks with the in-group and out-group members. Survey data were collected from workers in international organizations with bicultural (U.S. and Japanese) workforces. The results provided evidence to support the first hypothesis that the overall patterns differ between in-group and out-group communication for both the U.S. and Japanese samples. Three other hypotheses predicted that, compared to workers who do not exhibit much identification with their in-groups, those highly identified with their in-groups communicate in such a manner that manifests more social distance from the out-group members and less social distance from the in-group members. Although the results provided some evidence to support the hypotheses, they suggest that the relationship between social identification and intergroup differentiation is more complex than anticipated. Theoretical implications are discussed.

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