Managerial Practice and Diversity Climate: The Roles of Workplace Voice, Centralization, and Teamwork

Abstract

Diversity climate—shared employee perceptions of the extent to which an organization is inclusive and fair—is of increasing interest to public administration scholars. While research has linked diversity climate to a range of employee and organizational outcomes, less is known about how common managerial practices affect diversity climate. This article addresses this gap by examining three such practices: workplace voice, centralized decision-making, and teamwork. Each is theoretically expected to act upon both the inclusion and fairness dimensions of diversity climate. We test these expectations using regression analysis of departmental-level data collected through surveys of four North Carolina public organizations. The results suggest that workplace voice and teamwork enhance diversity climate, while centralized decision-making diminishes it in workplaces with mostly white employees. Practically speaking, the results imply that common management techniques that benefit public organizations also foster positive diversity climates. Evidence for Practice: Employee perceptions of the extent to which an organization is fair and inclusive, known as diversity climate, have been linked to a range of important organizational outcomes. Common managerial practices that produce organizational benefits also appear to strengthen diversity climate, specifically workplace voice, decentralized decision-making, and teamwork. Public managers wishing to improve diversity climate should consider giving employees meaningful voice in workplace decisions, pushing decisions downward, and fostering teamwork.