Purpose -This paper seeks to link conflict and mediation theory to practice using an asymmetry framework. Past conflict research often assumes that conflict parties perceive the same amount of conflict, neglecting that members may have different perceptions. Design/methodology/approach -This study conducted surveys and interviews with 30 conflict parties involved in mediation and examined the effects of asymmetry of parties' perceptions of task and relationship conflict on absenteeism, motivation, and satisfaction with the mediation. In addition, mediator bias was considered as another asymmetry variable that influences mediation success. Findings -Using quantitative and qualitative data it was found that these perceived asymmetries were negatively associated with work motivation and satisfaction, and positively associated with absenteeism. Originality/value -Recommendations for mediators and organizations are provided.

PurposeIn this study, we investigated the commitment of cultural minorities and majorities in organizations. We examined how contextual factors, such as pressure to conform and leadership styles, affect the commitment of minority and majority members.Design/Methodology/ApproachA field study was conducted on 107 employees in a large multinational corporation.FindingsWe hypothesize and found that cultural minorities felt more committed to the organization than majority members, thereby challenging the existing theoretical view that cultural minorities will feel less committed. We also found that organizational pressure to conform and effective leadership increased the commitment of minorities.ImplicationsOur findings indicate that organizational leaders and researchers should not only focus on increasing and maintaining the commitment of minority members, but should also consider how majority members react to cultural socialization and integration processes. The commitment of minority members can be further enhanced by effective leadership.Originality/ValueIn this study, we challenge the existing theoretical view based on similarity attraction theory and relational demography theory, that cultural minorities would feel less committed to the organization. Past research has mainly focused on minority groups, thereby ignoring the reaction of the majority to socialization processes. In this study, we show that cultural minorities can be more committed than majority members in organizations. Therefore, the perceptions of cultural majority members of socialization processes should also be considered in research on cultural diversity and acculturation.

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Although work‐group diversity may have potential positive impact on team learning and performance, the way diversity characteristics are distributed, influences whether teams exploit this potential. In this quantitative field study on 52 teams in two health‐care organizations, we examined the relationship between informational faultlines (the demographic alignment of the informational characteristics of the members in a group, creating relatively homogeneous subgroups) and team learning. We used a moderated‐mediation model to test the interplay between faultline strength (the alignment of characteristics) and distance (between subgroups, based on the characteristics) on task and process learning. We hypothesized and found that strong but close subgroups stimulate task and process learning in teams. This study also provides evidence that transactive memory is a mediator in the relationship between the interaction of faultline strength and distance with task and process learning.

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