The failure of an out-group member is often seen as reflecting an internal disposition (e.g., laziness) to a greater extent than the same failing of an in-group member. In addition, members of the in-group tend to view successes of the outgroup member as an exceptional case (e.g., due to luck or a special advantage). Achievements of the outgroup, therefore, are discounted relative to the same success that a member of the in-group attained (Seijts & Latham, 2003).
The Group Serving Bias in Organizational Settings
Research findings on the group serving bias have implications for I/O research in the areas of personnel selection,
performance appraisal, promotion, and employee access to training programs. For example, the group-serving bias may explain:
1. the plethora of discrimination lawsuits filed by employees
2. the different interviewer reactions to job candidates from various racial/ethnic backgrounds in selection interviews
3. why racial minorities, women, and people with disabilities are promoted less often, have prior work-related
achievements seen in a negative light, and receive less feedback and lower ratings on work performance
Examining studies on the group-serving bias might help I/O psychologists to better understand the behavior of individuals managing employees and conducting selection interviews and performance appraisals. The group-serving bias may also inform I/O research on group efficacy (Seijts & Latham, 2003).
performance appraisal, promotion, and employee access to training programs. For example, the group-serving bias may explain:
1. the plethora of discrimination lawsuits filed by employees
2. the different interviewer reactions to job candidates from various racial/ethnic backgrounds in selection interviews
3. why racial minorities, women, and people with disabilities are promoted less often, have prior work-related
achievements seen in a negative light, and receive less feedback and lower ratings on work performance
Examining studies on the group-serving bias might help I/O psychologists to better understand the behavior of individuals managing employees and conducting selection interviews and performance appraisals. The group-serving bias may also inform I/O research on group efficacy (Seijts & Latham, 2003).
Group Efficacy
Group efficacy is a group's shared belief in its conjoint capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given levels of attainments. Gist and Mitchell (1992) argued that perceptions of efficacy are, in part, an in-depth attributional process and that the group-serving bias could be expected to hinder people's attempts to understand the true causes of good or poor work performance. As a result, the shared perceptions of a group's efficacy may be inaccurate. Even worse, an inflated sense of efficacy could result in overconfidence and poor work performance over time (Seijts & Latham, 2003).
