Do Immigrants Increase Group Productivity? A Study of Blue-Collar Workgroups

Author(s) : Anna Apostolidou, Florian Kunze

Source : https://doi.org/10.5465/amd.2022.0156

Abstract:

“As immigration continues to reshape workforce demographics in many Western states, we aim to understand how the inclusion of migrants in blue-collar workgroups impacts group productivity. Our study examines the effects of migrant percentage in workgroups and tests several moderators, including the percentage of women in the group, organizational tenure, origins of migrant group members, leadership by migrants, and regional demographics. Using a quantitative approach, we analyze a time-lagged sample comprising 629 workgroups from a large Swiss company. Our findings reveal a non-linear relationship between migrant percentage and group productivity, characterized by an inverted U-shape. This relationship is further influenced by organizational tenure, specific migrant origins, and the regional proportion of migrants. Traditional diversity theories fall short in explaining our findings, suggesting that subjective status changes may offer better insights into these dynamics.”