Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Acta Psychologica
Publication Date
10-1-2026
Abstract
As opposed to past literature in which racial dissimilarity has been largely examined through a negative lens, this study fills an important gap by revealing that racial dissimilarity between supervisor and subordinate can lead to a knowledge advantage. Based on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) framework, we conducted a field study of 151 subordinate-supervisor dyads to examine how dyadic racial dissimilarity impacts Elaboration of Task-Relevant Information (ETRI) and subordinate job performance when jointly moderated by subordinate cultural values and communication media. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression and mediation analysis. We found that ETRI was higher under conditions of dyad racial dissimilarity and when subordinates were high in collectivistic values and met with their supervisor more face-to-face than virtually but lower when subordinates were high in individualistic values and met with their supervisor more virtually than face-to-face. The findings also supported a mediated moderation model whereby the three-way interaction effect of the three independent variables on subordinate job performance was mediated by ETRI. Theoretically, through synthesizing an overlooked perspective of the relational demography literature together with AMO framework, we elucidate how racially dissimilar vertical dyads exchange knowledge. Practically, managers can align vertical racially dissimilar dyads by paying particular attention to subordinates' cultural values as well as communication media to enhance subordinate's performance.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
270
Disciplines
Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Keywords
Ability-motivation-opportunity, Collectivism, Dyad racial dissimilarity, Individualism, Information elaboration, Subordinate-supervisor dyads, Virtual communication media
Scopus ID
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Richard, Orlando; Ahmed, Rawia; Triana, María del Carmen; and Garcia, M. Fernanda, "Unlocking the performance of racial dissimilarity in subordinate-supervisor dyads: Collectivism and communication media are key" (2026). All Works. 8412.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/8412
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series