Are There Differences in Employees’ Perceived Link of Diversity Management with Work Group Performance, Job Satisfaction and Intentions to Leave by Ethnic Diversity and Supervisory Level?: Evidence from U.S. Federal Agencies

Are There Differences in Employees’ Perceived Link of Diversity Management with Work Group Performance, Job Satisfaction and Intentions to Leave by Ethnic Diversity and Supervisory Level?: Evidence from U.S. Federal Agencies

Most of the studies on diversity management in public sectors have been entirely based on an aggregated level of analysis. Namely, very few studies have empirically examined whether there are differences between non-whites and whites in employees’ perceived link of the existence of diversity management in agencies with outcomes across their supervisory levels. To address, this study explores the extent to which employees perceive the link between diversity management and outcomes such as work group performance, job satisfaction, and turnover intention in U.S. federal agencies. This research also investigates the different link of employees’ perceived diversity management with those outcomes for non-white and white employees at three managerial levels: non-supervisors/ team leaders, supervisors/ managers, and executives. The empirical results drawn from a series of ordinary least squares regressions show that employees’ perceptions on the existence of diversity management in their agencies are positively correlated with work group performance and job satisfaction, whereas it is negatively correlated with intentions to leave their positions. Furthermore, this research demonstrates that federal employees’perceptions about the link between the existence of diversity management and work-related outcomes vary significantly between non-whites and whites depending on their managerial levels.