Racial Diversity and Team Performance: Evidence from the American Offshore Whaling Industry

Michele Baggio and Metin Cosgel ()
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Michele Baggio: University of Connecticut

No 2023-04, Working papers from University of Connecticut, Department of Economics

Abstract: We use data from the American offshore whaling industry to examine the relationship between racial diversity and team performance. Teams consist of the crew operating onboard whaling vessels, and performance is measured by the value of the output captured during the voyage. The results show robust estimates of racial diversity’s association with team performance at the firm level, which is U-shaped. Whereas increasing levels of racial diversity initially reduced revenue, higher levels yielded substantial gains. The nonlinear pattern is consistent with conflicts and hunting success working in opposite directions.

Keywords: racial diversity; team performance; labor productivity; firm behavior; creativity; conflict; discrimination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D24 J15 J24 L25 M14 N11 O47 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 76 pages
Date: 2023-03, Revised 2026-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-des, nep-eff, nep-hrm, nep-lma, nep-mac and nep-ure
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:uct:uconnp:2023-04

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