A Multi-Level Process Model for Understanding Diversity Practice Effectiveness

Abstract

The issue of workforce diversity has been at the forefront of organizational concerns for many years. Not surprisingly, this topic has generated reams of research aimed at shedding light not only on the challenges involved, but also on ways these challenges have been and can be addressed. This paper reports on a comprehensive survey of the most recent studies in an effort to uncover what has been learned and what remains to be examined. While the paper is aimed primarily at researchers, it also offers a number of insights of relevance to managers and others who are responsible for designing and administering diversity-related initiatives in today's organizations.

Inclusion climate: A multilevel investigation of its antecedents and consequences

“…Third, bridging organization‐level and individual‐level research (Nishii et al, ), our multilevel and multisource model empirically supports the top‐down effect linking organization‐reported formal diversity management programs, employees' shared perceptions of formal diversity management programs, and employees' individual psychological and attitudinal reactions. Our study captures the integrated process of how an HR system functions, from what organizations do to what employees perceive (Arthur & Boyles, ), and then to how employees react (Nishii et al, ). Understanding this complete process will help researchers to identify critical variables and decisions at each stage.…”

“…This study highlights several action steps HR professionals can take to make their organizations more inclusive. Past research has consistently demonstrated the value of positive diversity climates but was unable to deliver clear and specific recommendations to HR professionals on “which diversity practices should be used, how they should be implemented, for what purpose, and to what effect” (Nishii et al, , p. 38). Most research evidence supports the adoption of identity‐blind HR practices.…”

“…Incorporating identityconscious programs into the organization's portfolio is more effective in generating an inclusion climate because identity-conscious programs monitor the outcomes produced by identity-blind programs and make managers accountable for progress toward diversity management goals. (Arthur & Boyles, 2007), and then to how employees react (Nishii et al, 2018). Understanding this complete process will help researchers to identify critical variables and decisions at each stage.…”

“…Third, by examining the indirect relationship of identity‐conscious programs and employee affective commitment via inclusion climate and employees' diversity promise fulfillment, this study presents an integrated picture of how diversity is managed in the eyes of both employers and employees. Our conceptual model flows first from what the organization is doing (formal diversity management programs) to what employees perceive their organization is doing (diversity climate) and then to how employees psychologically (diversity promise fulfillment) and attitudinally (affective commitment) react to what they think (Nishii, Khattab, Shemla, & Paluch, ). To achieve this, we adopt a multilevel design of employees nested within organizations, using data from multiple sources.…”

“…Second, we investigate how an inclusion climate influences employees' affective commitment. Diversity climate's psychological mechanisms constitute a "black box" (Avery & McKay, 2010) largely neglected in diversity climate research (Singh, Winkel, & Selvarajan, 2013 to what employees perceive their organization is doing (diversity climate) and then to how employees psychologically (diversity promise fulfillment) and attitudinally (affective commitment) react to what they think (Nishii, Khattab, Shemla, & Paluch, 2018). To achieve this, we adopt a multilevel design of employees nested within organizations, using data from multiple sources.…”