Marcus A. Valenzuela, Guowei Jian and Phillip M. Jolly
The purpose of this paper is to examine how organizational diversity may be associated with immigrants’ quality of coworker relationships. More specifically, this paper examines…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how organizational diversity may be associated with immigrants’ quality of coworker relationships. More specifically, this paper examines how immigrants’ perceived deep-level similarity and perceived workplace ethnic diversity may be associated with their quality of coworker relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
A final sample of 347 immigrant employees were surveyed. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Immigrants’ quality of coworker relationships is positively associated with their perceived deep-level similarity with other coworkers. In addition, perceived workplace ethnic diversity moderates this relationship such that the relation is stronger as perceived workplace ethnic diversity increases.
Research limitations/implications
The study and analyses are based on cross-sectional and single-source data and cannot determine causality. The study is also restricted to immigrants in the USA.
Practical implications
Findings provide evidence that increased levels of ethnic diversity and deep-level similarity in the workplace may improve immigrants’ quality of relationships, helping them integrate more successfully in organizations. Thus, managers seeking to benefit from diversity should strive for the creation of truly multicultural organizations or workgroups and focus on fostering similarities in deep-level attributes to maximize their potential.
Originality/value
Immigrants are an important asset for organizations, but research about their inclusion in organizations is limited, especially when examining their integration in their workplaces. This study addresses some of these limitations by looking at the effect of diversity in organizations.
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Mohammad Shahin Alam and DuckJung Shin
This study developed and tested a moderated mediation model on workplace diversity management. The analysis examined whether diversity management affects job satisfaction via…
Abstract
Purpose
This study developed and tested a moderated mediation model on workplace diversity management. The analysis examined whether diversity management affects job satisfaction via perceived discrimination, depending on employees' openness to experience.
Design/methodology/approach
Building upon the assumptions of social identity theory, social cognitive theory and Big-Five theory, this study proposed and tested a model that analyzes the process through which diversity management influences perceived visible diversity discrimination and job satisfaction, depending on employees' openness to experience.
Findings
This study found support for the proposed moderated mediation model, which suggests that diversity management interacts with employees' openness to experience personality to influence their job satisfaction through perceived visible diversity discrimination. The results indicated that diversity management increased employees' job satisfaction in the workplace and that the relationship between diversity management and job satisfaction was further mediated by employees' perceptions of being discriminated against because of their age, gender and racial identities. The effect of diversity management on job satisfaction through perceived visible diversity discrimination was stronger when employees had high levels of openness to experience.
Practical implications
The results of the study suggest that the diversity management is an important organizational intervention to improve job satisfaction by providing a scientific explanation of its underlying psychological process and identifying the factors associated with the process, such as personality and perception of being discriminated.
Originality/value
This study contributes to extend the diversity management literature by applying the assumptions of social identity theory, social cognitive theory and Big-Five theory together to identify the relationship between diversity management and job satisfaction and the effect of perceived discrimination and openness to experience in the relationship.
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Subhash C. Kundu, Archana Mor, Sandeep Kumar and Jahanvi Bansal
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between employees’ perceptions of diversity within management levels (i.e. senior management, middle management and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between employees’ perceptions of diversity within management levels (i.e. senior management, middle management and lower management levels) and perceived organizational performance. The study also examines differences in perceptions of diversity within different levels of management across nature and ownership forms of organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data were gathered from a sample of 400 employees from 162 organizations of diverse industries operating in India. Statistical techniques like analysis of variance and stepwise multiple regressions were used to analyze the data.
Findings
Employee perceptions of diversity at the senior, middle and lower management levels of organizations are weakly, most significantly and positively, and negatively related to perceived organizational performance. It has also been found that the perceptions of diversity within different levels of management differ across nature and ownership forms of the organization.
Research limitations/implications
The study relies on self-reported questionnaires as the method of data collection, which can lead to common-method bias. Hence, further studies can collect data by using multiple sources. In addition, future researchers can employ both subjective and objective measures to fetch results that are more valid.
Practical implications
To harvest the benefits of diversity, organization should foster positive perceptions among employees toward diversity.
Originality/value
The study gives new insight into why employees’ perceptions are significant in considering the possible outcomes of diversity.
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Manting Deng, Hefu Liu, Qian Huang and Guanqi Ding
Organisations have widely adopted enterprise social media (ESM) to improve employees' task performance. This study aims to explore the mediating role of perceived task structure…
Abstract
Purpose
Organisations have widely adopted enterprise social media (ESM) to improve employees' task performance. This study aims to explore the mediating role of perceived task structure on the relationship between ESM usage and employee task performance. The authors investigate the moderating effects of perceived team diversity on the relationship between ESM usage and perceived task structure.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a questionnaire survey in China on 251 working professionals who use social media in their respective organisations.
Findings
Results showed that employees' perception of task structure considerably mediates the relationship between ESM usage and task performance. Findings also confirmed that perceived team diversity negatively affects the relationship between ESM usage and perceived task interdependence.
Research limitations/implications
Practitioners and/or managers should pay attention to the effect of ESM usage on employee's perceived task structure. Furthermore, they should focus on the level of team diversity when adopting ESM to enhance task performance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the knowledge of perceived task structure in explaining the effect of ESM usage on task performance based on communication visibility theory. This work presents the relationship among ESM usage, perceived task structure, perceived team diversity and task performance. Moreover, this research enriches the literature on ESM usage by investigating the moderating roles of perceived team diversity whilst presenting the negative effects of perceived team diversity.
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Akanksha Jaiswal and Lata Dyaram
While extant literature is replete with studies on actual diversity, research on perceived diversity is scant. The authors examine perceived diversity as an underlying mechanism…
Abstract
Purpose
While extant literature is replete with studies on actual diversity, research on perceived diversity is scant. The authors examine perceived diversity as an underlying mechanism explaining the effect of actual diversity on affect-related outcome (employee well-being).
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 617 full-time employees from large organizations representing varied industries in India have participated in the survey-based study. The authors used PROCESS macro for mediation analysis.
Findings
An index estimating actual surface-level diversity was found to correlate significantly with perceived surface-level diversity. Perceived diversity was found to significantly impact employee well-being, thereby, demonstrating its mediating role in the link between actual diversity and well-being.
Research limitations/implications
Beyond the underlying processes of diversity, effects such as diversity perceptions, contextual factors conditioning diversity effects need exploration.
Practical implications
Investigation of both actual and perceived diversity improves the explanation of diversity effects. Besides compositional mix, managers must tap on employee perceived differences to understand and leverage diversity and its effects.
Originality/value
Besides contributing to the emerging interest in empirical examination of perceived diversity on employee outcomes, this study develops an index to estimate actual surface-level diversity.
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Sylvie Guerrero, Julie Sylvestre and Doina Muresanu
The aim of this paper is to study the effects of pro‐diversity practices on perceived insider status, and explore the moderating role of leader‐member exchange in this…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to study the effects of pro‐diversity practices on perceived insider status, and explore the moderating role of leader‐member exchange in this relationship. The main and interactive effects on PIS are studied for cultural minority and majority groups.
Design/methodology/approach
Research hypotheses are tested with a questionnaire administered to 210 employees working in three Canadian organizations engaged in diversity management.
Findings
Results indicate that the main and interactive effects of organizational fairness and leader‐member exchange on perceived insider status are significant. The interactive effect on perceived insider status is higher for cultural minorities than for other employees.
Research limitations/implications
This study shows the importance of perceived insider status in the field of diversity, identifies organizational fairness and leader‐member exchange as two significant organizational antecedents to perceived insider status, and describes the mechanisms linking these antecedents to perceived insider status (the interaction effects).
Originality/value
The main contribution of the research resides in the identification of perceived insider status as a variable that deserves more attention in the field of diversity. The article invites future research to explore the behavioral consequences of perceived insider status in diverse teams, and to pursue the understanding of mechanisms leading to feelings of inclusion.
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Nachiketa Tripathi and Vinit Ghosh
This paper aims to explore the effect of perceived “self-to-team” deep-level diversity on team’s creative output from a social identity lens’ view.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the effect of perceived “self-to-team” deep-level diversity on team’s creative output from a social identity lens’ view.
Design/methodology/approach
An experimental study was designed (n = 30 in each experimental condition, namely, homogeneous, heterogeneous and mixed) and vignettes were used to manipulate the experimental conditions. Employees from four Indian organizations participated in the experimental study.
Findings
Results indicated that deep-level homogeneous group perceived higher team creative output as compared to the deep-level heterogeneous group. Perceived team creativity climate was found to mediate the effect of team diversity on team’s creative output. Further, it was observed that the quality of perceived creativity climate (positive and negative) moderated the relationship between diversity and team’s creative output.
Practical implications
The diversity–climate–creativity model presented in the paper may help managers to understand how “deep-level” group composition affects a group’s creative performance. The findings of this study may act as a platform for building effective diversity management policies.
Originality/value
The current research has contributed to the limited team diversity and creativity literature. Based on the experimental study, the paper has uniquely investigated team diversity and creativity link along with examining the role of a mediator (creativity climate) and moderator (quality climate) in the relationship. As the study was conducted in Indian settings, the findings were interpreted based on the typical Indian psycho-social characteristics.
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Subhash C. Kundu, Archana Mor, Jahanvi Bansal and Sandeep Kumar
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between diversity management (i.e. diversity-focused human resource (HR) practices related to recruitment and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between diversity management (i.e. diversity-focused human resource (HR) practices related to recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal and compensation) and perceived firm performance, and the mediating effect of procedural justice.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data based on 400 respondents of 162 organizations operating in India were analysed using statistical tools such as factor analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression analysis.
Findings
Multiple regression analysis indicated that diversity-focused HR practices had a positive association with perceived firm performance. Further, it was found that procedural justice played a partially mediating in the relationship between diversity-focused HR practices and perceived firm performance.
Research limitations/implications
This paper relied on self-report surveys for data collection, and there laid a possibility of common method variance in the result findings. Hence, future studies should collect data from multiple sources by using multiple methods (e.g. interviews, surveys, peer reports, etc.).
Practical implications
The first implication highlights that senior management’s support is a prerequisite to execute justice-based diversity management processes, which in turn aid in harvesting the true potentials of diversity. Second, organizations should adopt an egalitarian approach while formulating and implementing diversity management initiatives to accentuate the fair and just perceptibility of procedures among employees.
Originality/value
This study sheds new light on the effects of diversity-focused HR practices on firm performance (perceived) in Indian context.
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Lynne Leveson, Therese A. Joiner and Steve Bakalis
The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between employee perceptions of their organization's management of cultural diversity, their perceived organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between employee perceptions of their organization's management of cultural diversity, their perceived organizational support and affective commitment.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was developed and distributed to a sample of employees working in a large Australian financial institution.
Findings
Analysis of the data shows that, when controlling for perceived organizational support, there is no direct relationship between cultural diversity management perceptions and affective commitment. Rather, the data support an indirect relationship between the two variables via perceived organizational support.
Research limitations/implications
Implications are, first, that managers need to recognize the potential contribution of developing a positive workplace atmosphere for cultural diversity to strengthen employee perceived organizational support, which in turn enhances affective commitment. Second, the research findings underscore the importance of perceived organizational support in linking cultural diversity management perceptions to organizational outcomes, such as affective commitment. Third, managers should not underestimate the influence of initiatives, such as making all employees feel included in the “taken‐for‐granted” informal networks in engendering positive organizational and individual attitudes.
Originality/value
The paper examines cultural diversity management from the employees' (rather than a management) perspective to develop a fully mediated model using organizational support to link cultural diversity management perceptions to commitment. The study reinforces the need to rethink simple relationships between cultural diversity management perceptions and organizational/individual outcomes, to consider more complex models that include important mediating variables to more fully understand the effects of cultural diversity management.
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Philippe Orsini and Remy Magnier-Watanabe
As Japan has been slowly opening up to foreign workers to supplement its shrinking workforce, local employees have had to deal with increased diversity at work, owing to the…
Abstract
Purpose
As Japan has been slowly opening up to foreign workers to supplement its shrinking workforce, local employees have had to deal with increased diversity at work, owing to the presence of foreign coworkers. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between foreign coworkers’ nationality (specifically Chinese, Korean and those from Western countries) and the perception of the benefits and threats of cultural diversity in the workplace by Japanese employees.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of Japanese employees working in Japan, half of which working with foreigners, was used, focusing on those Japanese employees who reported working with foreign coworkers of a single nationality.
Findings
The authors found that Japanese workers’ perceived benefits of cultural diversity at work, but not perceived threats, are significantly impacted by the unique nationality of their foreign coworkers. Specifically, the effect of coworker nationality is most apparent for the two benefits of “understanding of diverse groups in society” and “social environment,” whereby cultural distance is significantly and positively related to these perceived benefits. And more benefits from cultural diversity at work are perceived by Japanese employees in the presence of Western or Chinese, rather than South Korean coworkers.
Practical implications
In the Japanese context, hiring employees from certain distant and heterogeneous cultures and nationalities could increase the positive perception of multiculturalism at work, therefore facilitating diversity management and fostering inclusion in the culture of the firm.
Originality/value
Very little research in Japan has examined perception biases among native employees based on the nationality of their foreign coworkers, which is critical as globally minded Japanese firms are trying to increase their level of internal internationalization.