The value of diversity in the workplace is something I’ve touched on repeatedly over the years, with a fascinating study from MIT perhaps making the point most pointedly of all.  It found that the most diverse workplaces tended to be the most profitable, although it should also be said that those diverse workplaces were also quite fractious.

“The more homogeneous offices have higher levels of social capital,” the researchers explain. “But the interesting twist is that … higher levels of social capital are not important enough to cause those offices to perform better. The employees might be happier, they might be more comfortable, and these might be cooperative places, but they seem to perform less well.”

Most of the time when we examine diversity, we do so along racial or gender lines, perhaps even national lines.  A fascinating new study from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business attempts to take a fresh take on matters by exploring whether class diversity has an impact on the workplace.

The value of ‘social class transitioners’

The study focused particular attention on what the authors refer to as ‘social class transitioners’, who are people that have managed to progress between socioeconomic classes during their life, and it emerged that those who were able to do that brought particular value to the workplace.

“People who transition between classes can learn to relate to people in a more skilled way, and they are incredibly helpful in groups, as they can understand people from all walks of life,” the researchers say. “However, it can also be an exhausting and even isolating experience for that person.”

The research attempts to examine not just the impact such people can have on the workplace, but also the challenges they face in surviving.  They were able to specifically pull out examples to illustrate both the direction of transition and the pace of that transition, before exploring how both affected behaviors in the workplace, both for the individuals themselves and their teams.

Playing by the same rules

For instance, people who had managed to scale the social ladder reported feeling that they were now playing by a set of rules that they didn’t really understand and were not really prepared for.  Just as being placed in a foreign country forces us to reassess our norms and values, the authors argue that being placed outside of our cultural comfort zone can prompt similar periods of adjustment.

The authors argue that people who move into a different social class acquire new skills and tools to enable them to adapt to their new environments, whilst also developing the ability to relate to people from various classes and backgrounds.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is especially pronounced among those who have made the largest transitions.  When analyzing the data, these individuals were found to be most culturally savvy having acquired numerous invaluable tools as they moved through the social classes.

Plotting the movement

Whilst the scale of movement was important, so too was the direction.  For instance, those who moved up the social classes were found to be much more likely to expand their cultural toolkit, whereas those who went the other way were found to be much less likely to do so.

What’s more, timing was also found to be a factor, with people who began this transition in childhood found to adapt to their new circumstances more effectively than those who made the shift during adulthood.

If done successfully however, these tools can offer numerous advantages in the workplace.  For instance, they may be better equipped to integrate with a wide variety of groups by utilizing their adaptability, or broker connections between different groups.  They might even help to develop a more inclusive and culturally sensitive workplace by sharing their experiences.

The researchers argue that this basic capabilities make class transitioners highly valuable because they are able to connect with so many people from so many walks of life, with these relationships then supporting a wide range of positive workplace behaviors.

The need for support

Being such an individual is far from easy however, and the authors urge managers to give them support.  They believe that being able to understand people from various walks of life can be hugely important, yet also hugely exhausting.  What’s more, it can even isolate them socially.

When combined, these negative outcomes can prompt many transitioners to hold back from exercising their unique skills.  The researchers hope that by drawing attention to the attributes of the people who have managed to climb the social ladder, it will prompt companies to appreciate and support these individuals more.

“Elite companies tend to hire people from privileged backgrounds, whether they mean to or not, and I hope this might shed light on how that could negatively affect performance,” they conclude.

It’s widely accepted now that diversity is important in the workplace, and this research provides a timely reminder that social class is an important aspect of that diversity.