The purpose of this article is to explore the link between diversity management in public organizations and employees’ affective commitment by testing hypotheses on the mediating roles of transformational leadership and inclusive organizational culture. By combining theories on human resource management and performance with theories on diversity and inclusiveness, a theoretical model is built explaining when and why diversity management should positively affect employees’ affective commitment. Survey data from a representative sample of 10,976 Dutch public sector employees were used in testing our hypotheses using structural equation modeling techniques. Results show that the effect of diversity management on employees’ affective commitment can partially be explained by its impact on the inclusiveness of the organizational culture. In addition, the impact is influenced through the transformational leadership shown by supervisors who can be considered as the implementers of diversity management and as agents in creating inclusiveness. The implications for future research and management practice are further discussed.
AshikaliT. S. (2011). Van diversiteitsmanagement naar prestaties. Een onderzoek naar de invloed van diversiteitsmanagement op HRM uitkomsten en de rol van de leidinggevende in de Nederlandse publieke sector [From diversity management to performance. A study on the influence of diversity management on HRM outcomes and the role of the supervisor in the Dutch public sector] (Master thesis Public Administration). Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
2.
AvolioB. J.BassB. M.JungD. I. (1999). Re-examining the components of transformational and transactional leadership using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, 72, 441-462.
3.
BassB. M.AvolioB. J. (1993). Transformational leadership and organizational culture. Public administration quarterly, 17(1), 112-121.
4.
BassB. M.AvolioB. J.JungD. I.BersonY. (2003). Predicting unit performance by assessing transformational and transactional leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 207-218.
5.
BenschopY. (2001). Pride, prejudice and performance: Relations between HRM, diversity and performance. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12, 1166-1181.
6.
BowenD. E.OstroffC. (2004). Understanding HRM–firm performance linkages: The role of the “strength” of the HRM system. Academy of Management Review, 29, 203-221.
7.
BurkeS. S.StaglK. C.KleinC.GoodwinG. F.SalasE.HalpinS. M. (2006). What type of leadership behaviors are functional in teams? A meta-analysis. Leadership Quarterly, 17, 288-307.
8.
ByrneB. M. (2010). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. New York, NY: Routledge.
9.
CelikS.AshikaliT.GroeneveldS. (2011). De invloed van diversiteitsmanagement op de binding van werknemers in de publieke sector. De rol van transformationeel leiderschap [The binding effect of diversity management on employees in the Dutch public sector. The role of transformational leadership]. Tijdschrift voor HRM, 14(4), 32-53.
10.
ChoiS.RaineyH. G. (2010). Managing diversity in U.S. Federal Agencies: Effects of diversity and diversity management on employee perceptions of organizational performance. Public Administration Review, 70, 109-121.
11.
ChoiS.RaineyH. G. (2014). Organizational fairness and diversity management in public organizations: Does fairness matter in managing diversity?Review of Public Personnel Administration, 34(4), 307-331.
12.
De RuijterS.GroeneveldS. (2011). Diversiteit binnen de publieke sector. Een kwantitatief onderzoek naar de ervaringen van werknemers in de publieke sector met diversiteit en diversiteitbeleid. [Diversity in the public sector. A quantitative study on employees’ experiences with diversity and diversity policy in the public sector]. Erasmus University, Rotterdam. Commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom relations.
13.
De VriesG.HomanA. C. (2008). Diversity and leadership: Transformational leadership and its role in managing diversity. Gedrag & Organisatie, 21(3), 295-309.
14.
ElyR. J.ThomasD. A. (2001). Cultural diversity at work: The effects of diversity perspectives on work group processes and outcomes. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46, 229-273.
15.
GilbertC.De WinneS.SelsL. (2011). The influence of line managers and HR department on employees’ affective commitment. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22, 1618-1637.
16.
Gould-WilliamsJ.DaviesF. (2005). Using social exchange theory to predict the effects of HRM practice on employee outcomes. An analysis of public sector workers. Public Management Review, 7, 1-24.
17.
GroeneveldS. (2011). Diversity and employee turnover in the Dutch public sector. Does diversity management make a difference?International Journal of Public Sector Management, 24, 594-612.
18.
GroeneveldS.Van de WalleS. (2010). A contingency approach to representative bureaucracy: Power, equal opportunities and diversity. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 76, 239-258.
19.
GroeneveldS.VerbeekS. (2012). Diversity policies in public and private sector organizations. An empirical comparison of incidence and effectiveness. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 32, 353-381.
20.
GuestD. E. (1997). Human resource management and performance: A review and research agenda. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8, 263-276.
21.
HofhuisJ.Van der ZeeK. I.OttenS. (2012). Social identity patterns in culturally diverse organizations: The role of diversity climate. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42, 964-989.
22.
HuL.T.BentlerP.M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6 (1), 1-55.
23.
JehnK. A.BezrukovaK. (2004). A field study of group diversity, workgroup context, and performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, 703-729.
24.
KearneyE.GebertD. (2009). Managing diversity and enhancing team outcomes: The promise of transformational leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 77-89.
25.
KimS. (2005). Individual-level factors and organizational performance in government organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 15, 245-261.
26.
MeierK. J.O’TooleL. J. (2013). Subjective organizational performance and measurement error: Common source bias and spurious relationships. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 23(2), 429.
27.
MeyerJ. P.BeckerT. E.VandenbergheC. (2004). Employee commitment and motivation: A conceptual analysis and integrative model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 991-1007.
28.
MeyerJ. P.StanleyD. J.HerscovitchL.TopolnytskyL. (2002). Affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization: A meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates, and consequences. Journal of vocational behavior, 61, 20-52.
29.
MillikenF.MartinsL. (1996). Searching for common threads: Understanding the multiple effects of diversity in organizational groups. Academy of Management Review, 21, 402-433.
30.
MoynihanD. P.PandeyS. K.WrightB. E. (2012). Setting the table: How transformational leadership fosters performance information use. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 22, 143-164.
31.
NgE. S. W.BurkeR. J. (2005). Person–organization fit and the war for talent: Does diversity management make a difference?International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16, 1195-1210.
32.
NishiiL. H.LepakD. P.SchneiderB. (2008). Employee attributions of the “why” of HR practices: Their effects on employee attitudes and behaviors, and customer satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 61, 503-545.
33.
NishiiL. H.MayerD. M. (2009). Do inclusive leaders help to reduce turnover in diverse groups? The moderating role of leader–member exchange in the diversity to turnover relationship. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 1412-1426.
34.
PaauweJ.GuestD. E.WrightP. M. (Eds.). (2013). HRM & Performance: Achievements & Challenges. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
35.
PittsD. W. (2009). Diversity management, job satisfaction, and performance: Evidence from U.S. Federal Agencies. Public Administration Review, 69, 328-338.
36.
PittsD. W.WiseL. R. (2010). Workforce diversity in the new millennium: Prospects for research. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 30, 44-69.
37.
PlessN. M.MaakT. (2004). Building an inclusive diversity culture: Principles, processes and practice. Journal of Business Ethics, 54, 129-148.
38.
PodsakoffP. M.MacKenzieS. B.LeeJ-Y.PodsakoffN. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioural research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879-903.
39.
PurcellJ.HutchinsonS. (2007). Front-line managers as agents in the HRM performance causal chain: Theory, analysis and evidence. Human Resource Management Journal, 17, 3-20.
40.
Roosevelt ThomasR. (1990). From affirmative action to affirming diversity. Harvard Business Review, 68(2), 107-117.
41.
SarrosJ. C.CooperB. K.SantoraJ. C. (2008). Building a climate for innovation through transformational leadership and organizational culture. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 15, 145-158.
42.
SeldenS.C.SeldenF. (2001). Rethinking diversity in public organizations for the 21st century: Moving toward a multicultural model. Administration & Society, 33(3), 303-329.
43.
ShoreL. M.RandelA. E.ChungB. G.DeanM. A.EhrhartK. H.SinghG. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model for future research. Journal of Management, 37, 1262-1289.
44.
SteijnB.LeisinkP. (2006). Organizational commitment among Dutch public sector employees. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 72(2), 187-201.
45.
van KnippenbergD.De DreuC. K. W.HomanC. (2004). Work group diversity and group performance: An integrative model and research agenda. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 1008-1022.
46.
Van WartM. (2013). Lessons from leadership theory and the contemporary challenges of leaders. Public Administration Review, 73(3), 553-565.
47.
WrightP. M.KehoeR. R. (2009). Organizational—level antecedents and consequences of commitment. In KleinH. J.BeckerT. E.MeyerJ. P. (Eds.), Commitment in organizations: Accumulated wisdom and new directions (pp. 285-307). New York, NY: Routledge.
