Increasing globalization continues to change the racial landscape of the modern workplace. This has prompted academic interest in exploring dynamics between people of different races. Social Identity Model (Social Identity Theory and Social-Categorization Theory) has laid the groundwork for how racial dissimilarity may result in poor communication, lack of social integration, and increased conflict. However, this body of research has relied on the assumption that racially dissimilar individuals are not likely to share the same values as compared to racially similar ones. Using Expectancy Violation Theory, we explore the nuances of the assumptions related to the interaction between value (in)congruence and racial (dis)similarity. Specifically, we focus on the violations of expectations when racially similar people do not align in their values, and racially dissimilar ones do. Furthermore, we explore how these violations impact employees’ likelihood to speak up at work. We propose a sequence of affective and cognitive mechanisms that drive this effect. To test my hypotheses, we employed an experimental design with 720 participants across different races recruited through Prolific. We discuss the implications of my findings for the Social Identity Model, Expectancy Violations Theory, and broader diversity literature. In addition, we highlight the practical implications of these findings.
