Interacting with dissimilar coworkers is almost inevitable at work. Unfortunately, this can create divides because people are less likely to trust those who are different from them. New research (Solomon, 2025) paints a more nuanced picture of these dynamics, looking into both racial and political dissimilarity specifically. The findings suggest that dissimilarity may not always erode trust, as it depends partly on an employee’s political ideology.
THE RESEARCH STUDY
In the first study, employees completed four surveys over eight weeks about how politically and racially similar they felt to a coworker and how much they trusted that person. Coworkers also reported how much the focal employee (1) disclosed personal information to them and (2) relied on them at work. The author found that attitudes were shaped by political ideology—liberals were less trusting of politically dissimilar coworkers (and disclosed to them less), while conservatives were less trusting of racially dissimilar ones (and relied on them less).
Next, a series of experiments were conducted. Online participants interacted with a fictitious coworker who was either similar or dissimilar based on race or politics. Indeed, the same pattern emerged as in the first study.
The researcher suggests that liberals think more abstractly, judging conservatives as less trustworthy people overall, which leads to less personal disclosure. Conservatives think more concretely, focusing on the coworkers’ role at hand, which leads to less reliance on racially dissimilar coworkers when it concerns actual work tasks.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Results suggest that the type of dissimilarity that influences trust is different for conservatives versus liberals. To remedy this, organizations should aim to break down divides by fostering shared identities, such as “being on the same team.” Providing opportunities to collaborate with dissimilar others could be helpful if organizations offer support to ensure positive experiences. Finally, training could help employees recognize and reduce biases tied to political and racial group differences. Considering the illegality of racial discrimination, but not political discrimination, organizations may need to address these biases in different ways.
Solomon, B. C. (2025). Liberal versus conservative distrust: A construal-level approach to dissimilarity in the workplace. Journal of Applied Psychology, 110(6), 755–775.
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