7.4. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES WORK TOGETHER?

When a person first sees another person, some of the attributes of the other person "stick out." According to recent research, people are likely to be categorized by whatever attribute makes them distinctive (Nelson and Miller, 1995). For example, a female engineer in a laboratory with many male engineers will be seen as especially female. Thus, she will be seen as a representative of the females of the world (a group), and the relationship with her is likely to be intergroup rather than interpersonal. Her unique attributes will not stand out. On the other hand, the same female engineer in a group of female engineers is likely to be seen interpersonally. When the other individual is seen as a person, unrelated to groups, the relationship is interpersonal. In this case it is the unique attributes of the person that stand out.

Collectivists are more likely to see relationships as intergroup, and individualists are more likely to see relationships as interpersonal. Intergroup relationships are also more probable when there is a history of conflict between the groups or when individuals are physically distinct or anonymous, have incompatible goals, and are strongly attached to their groups.

Intergroup relationships occur because people have a tendency to categorize and stereotype others. Stereotyping due to diversity decreases cognitive work. We do not have to discover who the other is, because we already know it from the category that we have assigned to that person. If we can recategorize the other person, from "one of them" to "one of us," we can begin to have an interpersonal relationship, in which the personal attributes of the other become important.