Theoretical Perspectives and Organizational Practices

The topic of workplace diversity has attracted more and more scholarly attention in the past few decades. Indeed, the topic has become one of the most crucial organizational issues in the 21st century, with organizations in both the public and private sector increasingly seeking to tap the advantages diversity brings. Two major areas of focus have been the extent to which organizational members support diversity and the impact of diversity on work-related outcomes such as job satisfaction. This paper dwells on these two aspects.

First, Soni's (2000) model of receptivity to diversity is discussed, along with a summary of her findings. Then, attention is paid to the relationship between diversity and work-related outcomes as presented by Pitts (2009). According to Soni (2000), the success of any diversity management initiative is largely influenced by the degree to which members of an organization are receptive to the initiative. Without managers and employees embracing and valuing diversity and acknowledging the significance of initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, the initiatives are likely to be unsuccessful.

There seems to be considerable validity in Soni's assertion. Organizations in different sectors and industries have increasingly implemented initiatives aimed at increasing diversity and cultural awareness, minimizing inequality at the workplace, as well as enhancing cross-gender, cross-cultural, and interpersonal interactions. Yet, the initiatives often appear to bear little fruit, if any at all. This could be attributed to little or no support for diversity management initiatives on the part of organizational members.

Simply, diversity initiatives at the workplace may not succeed without a diversity climate, to which organizational members have an important role in creating. This among other things entails developing a shared understanding of diversity and its importance. A fundamental question arises from Soni's (2000) diversity receptivity model: what factors influence organizational members' support for diversity management initiatives? Focusing on a public-sector organization in the U.S., Soni (2000) sought to answer this question.

The organization began implementing diversity initiatives in 1991, with specific focus on making diversity a priority, raising diversity awareness across the organization, increasing the recruitment of minorities, and developing the leadership potential of minorities and women. Soni's (2000) study shows that receptivity to workplace diversity is influenced by employee racial/ethnic and gender background, prejudice and stereotyping, as well the character of interpersonal relationships. This means that different employee groups tend to view diversity and related initiatives differently.

Racial and gender identity is a particularly influential factor as far as receptivity to workplace diversity is concerned. In other words, support for diversity management initiatives at the workplace tends to vary by race and gender. Soni (2000) found that female and minority employees are likely to be more receptive to diversity initiatives compared to male and majority employees, meaning that male, female, and minority employees experience the work environment differently. Soni's (2000) study further found that support for diversity may be influenced by actual and perceived prejudices.

The study particularly established that women and minorities believe that the negative stereotypes or unequal treatment they receive at the workplace is as a result of their gender and racial background. This finding is largely true as instances of discrimination against women and minorities at the workplace are not rare. Finally, diversity receptivity may be influenced by interpersonal relationships. As explained by Soni (2000), interactions between members of different gender and racial backgrounds were quite disturbing, with most members often socializing with members with similar gender and racial background.

Reduced contact between members of dissimilar racial and gender identity can affect receptivity to diversity initiatives. Whereas Soni's (2000) study is limited by its case study nature, it provides valuable insights about the improvement of diversity management in organizations. For organizations to more effectively implement and manage diversity initiatives, they must first understand how employees perceive the notion of diversity, and the reasons for the perceptions.

With this knowledge, organizations can more effectively initiate efforts aimed at providing diversity training and awareness to employees, communicating the importance of diversity, correcting inappropriate perceptions about diversity, as well as enhancing contact between individuals with different gender and racial identity. An even greater concern amongst diversity scholars relates to the implications of diversity on performance outcomes. Does diversity have any impact on performance? Is investing in workforce diversity worth the effort, or is it a fruitless undertaking? Theoretically, it is assumed that diversity management increases work group performance.

This assertion is common in print, though there is little empirical evidence to support it. The assertion is informed by increased changes in the demographic characteristics of the labor force, especially with respect to age, gender, ethnicity, and race. In the past few decades, there has been a greater representation of women, minorities, and younger employees in the workforce. Increased workforce diversity often compels organizations to accommodate different work attitudes and approaches, which tend to vary by gender, generation, and racial/ethnic background (Pitts, 2009).

Incorporating women, minorities, and younger individuals in the workforce places an organization in a better position to take advantage of a greater pool of prospective employees. The organization not only benefits from a larger employee base, but also more effectively responds to the constantly evolving needs of its target population. This argument stems from the notion of representative bureaucracy, which holds that an organization that closely resembles the population it serves tends to be more receptive to its concerns (Pitts, 2009).

Accordingly, maintaining a diverse workforce provides a crucial advantage for the organization. Another theoretical assumption is that diversity management influences performance more strongly in minorities compared to Whites (Pitts, 2009). Simply, the relationship between diversity management and performance tends to vary across races. For instance, there may be little need for diversity management in areas where there are no racial differences in the target population and labor force compared to areas characterized by significant racial differences. Ordinarily, there would be little incentive to manage diversity.

In addition, the effect of diversity management would be smaller. It is also assumed that minority employees tend to be more satisfied with their work when there are robust initiatives aimed at promoting diversity (Pitts, 2009). There appears to be validity in this argument as minority employees will believe that the organization cares about their concerns when the organization is strongly committed to diversity. This may in turn result in a more fulfilling work environment for minorities. In a study of 140,000 employees in U.S.

federal agencies, Pitts (2009) sought to test the above assumptions. The study shows that workforce diversity is strongly associated with work group performance and job satisfaction. The study particularly demonstrates that minority employees are less likely to report positive work performance compared to Whites, with negative performance perceptions being more pronounced amongst men as well as individuals with lesser managerial authority and a shorter duration in the organization. This means that the dissatisfaction portrayed by people of color could in part be attributed to little or no attention to diversity management.

Indeed, Pitts (2009) sought to test whether performance differences between Whites and people of color can be explained by diversity management. The test showed that diversity management significantly influences performance perceptions amongst minority employees. Pitts' (2009) further found that minority employees are more likely to depict high job dissatisfaction compared to their White counterparts, with the dissatisfaction being more pronounced amongst men as well as individuals holding lower-level positions.

In the presence of diversity management, however, job dissatisfaction amongst minority employees reduces -- they become more satisfied with their work, meaning that poor diversity management causes less job satisfaction amongst non-White employees. Upon testing this relationship, Pitts (2009) found that significant differences exist in how diversity management influences job satisfaction in minority and White employees. One of the major strengths of Pitts' (2009) study is the large sample used. Nonetheless, a number of limitations cannot be ignored. The study focused only on public sector organizations.

It may, therefore, not be representative of all organizations, especially due to the significant management differences between public and private sector organizations. In addition, performance and job satisfaction may be driven by other factors, not necessarily diversity management. These include management style, working conditions, workload, as well as personal variables such as non-work stress. Also, it is important to note that diversity is a much broader phenomenon than depicted in the study.

It encompasses differences in not only race, ethnicity, gender and age, but also sexual orientation, religious background, political inclination, geographic origin, disability, as well as personality. More importantly, there is need for more empirical evidence to validate the relationship between diversity management and organizational outcomes. Even so, the study makes a valuable contribution to the literature on the relationship between diversity management and organizational outcomes. Overall, Soni's (2000) and Pitts' (2009) studies provide important implications for practice.

In today's world, no organization, regardless of size or sector/industry of operation, can afford to ignore the topic of diversity. Organizations now exist in a more diverse environment in the wake of factors such as globalization and worldwide economic integration. They operate in diverse geographical regions and serve populations of diverse backgrounds, which provide an even greater impetus to take diversity more seriously. Additionally, owing to factors such as increased education, issues of diversity have become known to more and more people.

Majority of individuals in the general population now have a better understanding of diversity and their right to be treated equally regardless of their background. Furthermore, there have been policies and legislations aimed at promoting diversity at the workplace and the society as a whole. Key among these includes the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Pay Act, and Equality Act. These legislations have cast more light on the issue of diversity. An organization can now ignore diversity at its own peril.

The good news is that more and more organizations have shown commitment to diversity. Nonetheless, there is still room for improvement. It is important for organizations to dedicate more time, efforts, and resources to diversity initiatives. There should be greater awareness and training of diversity amongst employees at every level of the organization. Employees must clearly understand why diversity is important and their individual role in building a climate of diversity. An organization-wide commitment to.