Race Matters -- in the Workplace: UVA Study Taps into Emerging Research Field. (Faculty Club)

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A new study is shedding light on the ways in which Blacks and Whites manage conflict in the workplace. The bottom line, according to the author of the study, Dr. Martin N. Davidson, is that "race matters."

Davidson, associate professor of leadership and organizational behavior at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business Administration, posits a simple yet provocative scenario in "Know Thine Adversary: The Impact of Race on Styles of Dealing with Conflict," forthcoming in the next issue of the journal Sex Roles. Using two study groups -- a group of undergraduate students and a group of middle managers enrolled in an executive education program -- the participants were asked to assume the role of a product design manager at the fictional Ultimate Shoe Company.

The character in the case study had worked extremely hard, in partnership with a merchandising manager, to develop an innovative shoe that eventually brought substantial …