| Abstract: | The study investigated effects of different work contexts on the individual's desire to work with a similar or dissimilar coworker. Business students (N= 536) were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions (competitive task, skill‐development task, and nonspecific task) and were asked to describe their preferred coworker for that task. Individuals were expected to prefer coworkers whom they perceived as similar in noncompetitive situations, but those whom they perceived as dissimilar in competitive situations. Further, it was hypothesized that the type of similarity emphasized (skills, personal values, and personal style) would reflect the type of anticipated interaction. As expected, participants in competitive conditions chose coworkers with lower skills and generally dissimilar values and personal style. Coworkers selected for the skill‐development condition possessed similar skills and were more similar in values. |
