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1 – 10 of over 10000Dennis Gabriel Pepple and Eleanor Davies
As public sector managers implement the policy of employing people that broadly reflects the social make up of a local society, there is a need to ensure that employees have a…
Abstract
Purpose
As public sector managers implement the policy of employing people that broadly reflects the social make up of a local society, there is a need to ensure that employees have a positive perception of ethnic diversity. Perceived environment of ethnic diversity (PEED) is conceptualised as employees’ view of how they are treated at work irrespective of where they come from. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between PEED and organisational identification (OID).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected by means of a survey of 908 employees from four public sector organisations in a state in Nigeria. Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Findings showed that OID may be fostered among multi-ethnic employees through the following framework: first, PEED had a direct relationship with OID and support was found, which was explained by the mediating role of co-worker social support (CWSS). Second, the effect of CWSS mediation was moderated by employees’ ethnic self-identification (ESI) such that those with strong ESI experienced lower OID.
Practical implications
As employee compositions in organisations increase in diversity, CWSS is presented in this study as a veritable measure for managers to foster OID.
Originality/value
This study is novel as it is one of the first to examine the mechanisms for linking PEED to OID through mediating effect of CWSS at different levels of ESI. Other contributions are discussed in detail in the study.
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David Sarpong and Mairi Maclean
The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the multi-ethnic marketplace as the site of the emergence of service nepotism: the practice where employees bestow relational benefits…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the multi-ethnic marketplace as the site of the emergence of service nepotism: the practice where employees bestow relational benefits and/or gifts on customers on the basis that they share a perceived common socio-collective identity. The authors draw on the contemporary turn to practice in social theory to explore why ethnic employees may engage in service nepotism even when they are aware that it contravenes organizational policy.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the paucity of empirical research which investigates the multi-ethnic marketplace as a locus for the emergence of service nepotism, the authors adopted an exploratory qualitative research approach to advance insight into service nepotism. The study benefits from its empirical focus on West African migrants in the UK who represent a distinct minority group living in urban areas of the developed world. Data for the study were collected over a six-month period, utilizing semi-structured interviews as the primary method of data collection.
Findings
The research highlights the occurrence and complexities of service nepotism in the multi-ethnic marketplace, and identifies four distinct activities (marginal revolution, reciprocal altruism, pandering for recognition, and horizontal comradeship), that motivate ethnic employees to engage in service nepotism, despite their awareness that this conflicts with organizational policy.
Research limitations/implications
By virtue of the chosen theoretical lens, the authors were unable to demonstrate how service nepotism could be observed outside spoken language. Also, care should be taken in generalizing the findings from this study given the particularities of the sub-group involved. For example, since the study is based on a small sample of first generation migrants, the findings may not hold true for their offspring, whose socialization and marketplace experiences may be qualitatively different from those of their parents.
Practical implications
Service nepotism challenges fundamental western egalitarian ideals in the multi-ethnic marketplace. Organizations may wish to develop strategies to placate observers’ concerns of creeping favouritism in a supposedly equitable marketplace. The research could also serve as a starting point for managers objectively to assess the likely impact of service nepotism on the organizing value systems and competitiveness. In particular, the authors suggest that international marketing managers would do well to look beneath the surface to see what is really going on in international marketplaces, since ostensible experiences of marketplace consumption may not always reflect underlying reality.
Originality/value
By using service nepotism as an analytical category to explore the marketplace experiences of ethnic service employees living and working in industrialized societies, the research shows that the practice of service nepotism, whilst taken for granted, can have far-reaching impact on individuals, observers, and service organizations in an increasingly highly differentiated multi-ethnic society.
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The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a societal context of ethnic conflict influences employee innovation behavior in the work domain and whether a collaborative…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a societal context of ethnic conflict influences employee innovation behavior in the work domain and whether a collaborative conflict management style adopted by supervisors plays a moderating role.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the conflict, organizational behavior and innovation literature, the study examines the main and interaction effects of employee sensitivity to ethnic conflict, organizational frustration and collaborative conflict management style of supervisors on employee engagement with colleagues to innovate products, services and job processes. Hypotheses are tested using hierarchical regression analysis, controlling for ethnic diversity in workgroups.
Findings
Employee innovation behavior is greatest when employee sensitivity to ethnic conflict is high, organizational frustration is low and when supervisors are perceived to be highly collaborative in managing conflict, regardless of whether the workgroup is ethnically homogenous or diverse.
Research limitations/implications
The study findings expand our knowledge of the effects of sociopolitical conflict on employee behavior and the role of collaborative conflict management. Future research can address limitations including self-reports, cross-sectional design and single country setting.
Practical implications
The findings of this study suggest that employee innovation behavior can be enhanced through developing collaborative conflict management skills of those in leadership positions.
Originality/value
This is the first study to empirically examine the influence of ethnic conflict on employee innovation behavior and is of value to businesses operating in conflict settings.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences in turnover and turnover intention by gender and ethnicity. In addition, it seeks to examine the effects of diversity…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences in turnover and turnover intention by gender and ethnicity. In addition, it seeks to examine the effects of diversity management on turnover intention.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical framework is constructed on the basis of ASA‐ and PO‐fit literature and previous research on diversity management and turnover. By analyzing two large‐N survey datasets the determinants of turnover and turnover intention of both native Dutch and ethnic minority men and women are examined.
Findings
Results show that women's turnover is most commonly associated with intrinsic factors, whereas men's decisions to leave the public sector are most commonly motivated by extrinsic factors. For ethnic minority men, the management of the organization and the leadership style of the supervisor are important determinants of any intention to leave the public sector. There is only a modest negative effect of diversity management on turnover intention.
Practical implications
To build and retain a diverse workforce, HRM policies in the public sector that used to be standardized and collective, should be adapted to the needs and values of the various categories of employees.
Originality/value
The effective management of diversity will increasingly be a central issue for public sector management. This article provides an understanding of the strategies that Dutch public sector organizations could employ to limit turnover of both native Dutch and ethnic minority men and women.
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Alexander Mohr and Gonzalo E. Shoobridge
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of ethnic workforce diversity for the internationalisation of small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Using the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of ethnic workforce diversity for the internationalisation of small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Using the resource‐based view, it is argued that an ethnically diverse workforce can help SMEs in overcoming barriers to internationalisation and increase the degree to which they benefit from globalisation.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper using the resource‐based view (RBV) of the firm to investigate the importance of work force diversity.
Findings
The paper identifies a series of mechanisms that link ethnic workforce diversity to increased internationalisation of SMEs as well as a range of contingencies of this relationship. It calls for a stronger appreciation of individual employees' external, co‐ethnic networks and knowledge as a hitherto largely ignored resource in the initiation, management and expansion of SMEs' international operations.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of the paper have implications for research and practice by shedding light on the importance of this so far largely neglected phenomenon. The findings are limited in as far as they are yet to be tested empirically.
Practical implications
The paper provides a framework of mechanisms that can sensitise practitioners with regard to the importance of workforce diversity for internationalisation activities as well as human resource management practices.
Originality/value
The paper addresses an issue that is shown to be of increasing importance to SMEs, but has so far been largely neglected in research on SMEs.
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The purpose of this paper was to explore whether organisational diversity is associated with minority employee attitudes (i.e. job satisfaction and organisational commitment) in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to explore whether organisational diversity is associated with minority employee attitudes (i.e. job satisfaction and organisational commitment) in Taiwan and to illustrate if macro-structural inquiry is applicable in the Asian context.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper utilised a quantitative methodology which consisted of a self-administered survey developed using relevant information from the existing literature. A total of 305 valid surveys were received from the 22 participating Taiwanese hotels and the target population was composed of hotel employees from all departments within the hotels. Descriptive data analysis using SPSS were performed to analyse the data.
Findings
The findings illustrate that ethnic diversity levels in hotels predict more of the variation in employee attitudes than the remaining types of organisational diversity. In organisations with high and medium levels of organisational diversity, indigenous employees reported significantly higher levels of job satisfaction than did non-indigenous employees; female employees ranked organisational commitment significantly higher than male employees.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is limited in its findings and explanations to a group of employees in Taiwanese context, and the research findings may not be applicable to all Asian countries. However, this paper displays considerable evidence of the positive impacts in a North-East Asian setting of organisational diversity suggested by literature derived from a Western context. Additionally, the current research did not investigate the impact of diversity policies on employee attitudes. The future research could examine whether equal opportunity and affirmative action are achievable in attracting or retaining ethnic and other minority employees.
Practical implications
One implication is that organisations should have human resource management policies and training programs (e.g. conflict resolution, problem-solving and team capacity building) that recognise natural differences in groups to capture the positive consequences of heterogeneity. In other words, conflict among diverse employees in the organisation should be managed to enhance the positive effect of diversity on performance.
Originality value
The results of the research provide evidence for managing diversity by increasing levels of heterogeneity in the workforce. This paper also argues that organisations need to incorporate equal opportunity requirements, training and education programs into policy and strategic initiatives. This paper displays considerable evidence of the positive impacts in a North-East Asian setting of organisational diversity suggested by literature derived from a Western context.
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Folke J. Glastra and Martha Meerman
The lack of career movement of members of ethnic minority groups in work organizations has been widely documented. The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into conditions for…
Abstract
Purpose
The lack of career movement of members of ethnic minority groups in work organizations has been widely documented. The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into conditions for the realization of diversity goals in the case of talent development.
Design/methodology/approach
In a case study of management development in the Dutch national tax administration, the practice of fostering vertical mobility of ethnic minority personnel through diversity management has been analysed. The authors make use of theories regarding effective diversity management and career advancement of ethnic minority employees. Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews with 12 participants in the management development course, and a further 25 functionaries involved in the project.
Findings
With regard to diversity management as a means of fostering talent development of ethnic minorities, the authors come to the conclusion that key success factors mentioned in the literature such as top level commitment and strategic integration, are insufficient and overrated conditions. More important are “non‐issues” in the formulation of diversity strategies, organizational alignment of relevant organizational players, strategic coherence and organizational culture.
Research limitations/implications
The case study design used in this research facilitates case‐sensitive analysis, but is limited in estimations of validity and explanatory strength of factors mentioned in the literature, as it is in generalizing across organizations.
Practical implications
Interventions aimed at fostering ethnic diversity in talent development should start with precise analysis of cultural and organizational conditions and processes underpinning standard practices of talent and career development, and not only seek strategic integration and top management commitment but arrange for broad‐based organizational alignment.
Originality/value
While there are many theoretical and normative models tracing diversity outcomes to organizational conditions and diversity management strategies, there is a dearth of empirical studies in this field. The case study explores the merits of these models and adds new insights on an empirical basis.
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Keisuke Kokubun and Misako Yasui
Growing number of research to identify antecedents of organizational commitment (OC) has been done not only in the West but also in the East including Malaysia because OC is found…
Abstract
Purpose
Growing number of research to identify antecedents of organizational commitment (OC) has been done not only in the West but also in the East including Malaysia because OC is found to be associated with various work-related outcomes. However, to date, the influence of ethnic identity on the OC–rewards relationship was not explored although the leader has to recognize the different cultural underpinnings of each community in a plural society like Malaysia. Therefore, this study investigates the differences in the relationship between rewards and OC between three ethnic groups, Malays, Chinese and Indians, in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
Hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze survey data gathered from 12,076 employees who work for 32 Japanese manufacturing companies located in Malaysia.
Findings
The results of the analysis show that satisfaction with the personal evaluation was more associated with OC and role clarity was less associated with OC in Chinese than in other ethnic groups. However, differences were not found in the relationships of other rewards with OC at the 1% significance level. These results indicate that the ethnic difference in the OC–rewards relationship is rather small.
Research limitations/implications
The major limitation concerns generalizability. The validity of the current research should be tested by the data of various foreign affiliates located in Malaysia and other multiethnic societies.
Practical implications
The results of this study could support the revision of human resource management practices, enabling workers to contribute to their companies on a long-term basis in multi-ethnic countries.
Originality/value
Although previous research has elucidated OC–rewards relation in particular countries, it has not met the potential requirements of the managers who face the difference in OC–rewards relation among the employees of different ethnic groups. In this sense, this research was the first attempt to tackle this theme contributing to the literature.
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The purpose of this paper is to apply a spatial approach to organizational inequality to explore why unequal opportunity structures persist in an organization despite its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to apply a spatial approach to organizational inequality to explore why unequal opportunity structures persist in an organization despite its commitment to diversity and employing highly skilled ethnic minority employees.
Design/methodology/approach
The (re)production of inequality is explored by linking research on organizational space with HRM diversity management. Data from an ethnographic study undertaken in a Danish municipal center illustrates how a substructure of inequality is spatially upheld alongside a formal diversity policy. Archer’s distinction between structure and agency informs the analysis of how minority agency not only reproduces but also challenges organizational opportunity structures.
Findings
The analysis demonstrates how substructures of inequality stabilize in spatial routines enacted in an ethnic zoning of the workplace and ethnification of job categories. However, the same spatial structures allows for a variety of opposition and conciliation strategies among minority employees, even though the latter tend to prevail in a reproduction rather than a transformation of the organizational opportunity structures.
Research limitations/implications
The reliance on a single case study restricts the generalizability of the findings but highlights fruitful areas for future research.
Practical implications
The study sensitizes HRM practitioners to the situated quality of workplace diversity and to develop a broader scope of HRM practices to address the more subtle, spatially embedded forms of inequality.
Originality/value
Theoretical and empirical connections between research on organizational space and HRM diversity management have thus far not been systematically studied. This combination might advance knowledge on the persistence of micro-inequality even in organizations formally committed to diversity.
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Zakaria Elkhwesky, Islam Elbayoumi Salem and Mona Barakat
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of ethnic, gender and religious diversity management practices (DMPs) and the level of implementation from perspectives…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of ethnic, gender and religious diversity management practices (DMPs) and the level of implementation from perspectives of five-star hotels in Egypt. Besides, it also examines the moderating role of empowerment and capability development (CD) between the importance and the implementation of gender and religious management practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The questionnaires were distributed personally to entry-level F&B employees, F&B managers, working in F&B departments, and HR managers in all accepted five-star hotels in their workplaces, during July and August 2017. Only 400 returned back, with a response rate of 35 percent and were considered usable for data analysis.
Findings
The results clarified that there was a significant moderate positive correlation between the importance and the implementation of gender and religious management practices (MPs). Nonetheless, the correlation proved to be significant, weak and positive between the importance and the implementation of ethnic MPs. The relationship between the importance and the implementation of ethnic, gender and religious MPs was not moderated by empowerment.
Research limitations/implications
Although questionnaires have been collected from diverse F&B outlets, comparisons among outlets were not conducted. This study concentrated on the F&B departments only; hence, future researchers can make comparisons among different departments.
Practical implications
This study implies that HR managers should recruit employees from diverse ethnicities, gender, ages, disabilities and religions to help five-star hotels achieve success in marketplaces. Recruiting diverse employees should be a basic part of the organizational culture of hotels, specifically F&B departments.
Social implications
Social activities organized in hotels, such as a tennis table, football and billiards tournaments, are included. Hotels can provide employees with special meals during fasting and they can also allow Christian employees to leave the hotel from 7 to 10 a.m. to attend the mass in church each Sunday.
Originality/value
Although DM is necessary for the hospitality industry, there is a lack of studies focusing on investigating the importance−implementation of DMPs and analyzing the moderating role of empowerment and CD in this industry, specifically in Egypt. This study provided weighty contributions to the management of diversity in the Egyptian hotel sector and formed one of the first empirical studies.
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