Drishtikon: A Management Journal

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Exploring the Relationship Between Workforce Diversity, Inclusion and Employee Engagement


Affiliations
1 Institute of Business Management, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India
2 Department of Management, BSACET, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between workplace inclusion (WI) and employee engagement (EE) and the effect of workplace diversity, managerial support and trust in leader on workplace inclusion. The study has used a survey to collect data from employees working in the private telecom companies in India, using a structured questionnaire (n=383) of National Capital Region (NCR), India. To identify the factors which determine workplace inclusion and employee engagement multiple regression model has been used and further, Karl Pearson correlation has been used to establish the correlation between variables. This paper found three factors which determined workplace inclusion: workforce diversity; managerial support, and trust in leader. The results point out that the workforce diversity has a significant positive relationship with workplace inclusion (β=0.20, p<0.05), managerial support on workplace inclusion (β=0.18, p<0.05), trust in the leader on workplace inclusion (β=0.28, p<0.05). Similarly, there is also positive and significant effect of trust in leader on workplace inclusion (β=0.17, p<0.05) and finally, workplace inclusion also effects positively and significantly on employee engagement (β=0.29, p<0.05). Study on inclusive work place and employee engagement is critical as it provides an understanding that how organizations can encourage and facilitate the full participation of employees. This study also provides practical interventions for human resource development professionals to assist individuals and organisations towards increasing more workplace inclusion and more employee engagement.

Keywords

Employee Engagement, Workforce Diversity, Managerial Support, Trust in Leader, Workplace Inclusion.
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Anitha, J. (2014). Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 63(3), 308-323.

  • April, K., Katoma, V., & Peters, K. (2009). Critical effort and leadership in specialised virtual networks. Annual Review for High Performance Coaching and Consulting, 187-215.

  • Ariani, D. W., & Babarsari, J. (2013). The relationship between employee engagement, organizational citizenship behavior, and counterproductive work behaviour. International Journal of Business Administration, 4(2), 46-56.

  • Aryee, S., Walumbwa, F.O, Zhou, Q. and Hartnell, C.A. (2012). Transformational leadership, innovative behavior and task performance: Test of mediation and moderation process. Human Performance, 25(1), 1-25.

  • Ashforth, B. E. (1994). Petty tyranny in organizations. Human Relations, 47(7), 755-78.

  • Atkinson, S., & Butcher, D. (2003). Trust in managerial relationships. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18, 282-304.

  • Bakker A. B., Tims, M., & Derks, D. (2012). Proactive personality and job performance: The role of job crafting and work engagement. Human Relations, 65(10), 1359-1378.

  • Baruch-Feldman, C., Brondolo, E., Ben-Dayan, D., & Schwartz, J. (2002). Sources of social support and burnout, job satisfaction, and productivity. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(1), 84-93.

  • Bhuvanaih, T., & Raya, R. P. (2016). Predicting employee work engagement levels, determinants and performance outcome: Empirical validation in the context of an information technology organization. Global Business Review, 17(4), 934-951.

  • Binnewies C., Ohly, S., & Niessen, C. (2008). Age and creativity at work: the interplay between job resources, age and idea creativity, work and organizational psychology, University of Konstanz, Germany. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23, 438-457.

  • Boekhorst, J. A. (2015). The role of authentic leadership in forstering workplace inclusion: A social information processing perspective. Human Resource Management, 54(2), 241-264.

  • Boon, C., & Biron, M. (2016). Temporal issues in person-organisation fit, person-job fit and turnover: The role of leader-member exchange. Human Relations, 69(12), 2177-2200.

  • Buckley, F. (2011). Trust and engagement in a downsizing context: the impact on human resource managers, in Searle, R.H. and Skinner, D. (Eds), Trust and Human Resource Management, 1st ed, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 309-329.

  • Cable, D. M., & DeRue, D. S. (2002). The convergent and discriminant validity of subjective fit perceptions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(5), 875-884.

  • Cho, S., & Mor Barak, M. E. (2008). Understanding of diversity and inclusion in a perceived homogeneous culture: a study of organizational commitment and job performance among Korean employees. Administration in Social Work, 32(4), 100-126.

  • Chorbot-Mason, D., Ruderman, N. M., & Nishii, H. L. (2013). (2013), Leadership in a diverse workplace. The Oxford Handbook of Diversity and Work, New York, Oxford University Press, 315-340.

  • Cottrill, K., Lopez, P. D., & Hoffman, C. C. (2014). How authentic leadership and inclusion benefit organizations. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 33(3), 275-292.

  • Daya, P. (2014). Diversity and inclusion in an emerging market context. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 33(3), 293-308.

  • Den Hartog, D. N., De Hoogh, A. H. B., & Keegan, A. E. (2007). The interactive effects of belongingness and charisma on helping and compliance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1131-1139.

  • Denison, D. R. (1990). Corporate culture and organizational effectiveness. New York: Wiley.

  • Detert, J. R., & Burris, E. R. (2007). Leadership behavior and employee voice: is the door really open?, Academy of Management Journal, 50(4), 869-884.

  • Dirks, K., & Ferrin, D. (2002). Trust in leadership: meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 611-28.

  • Downey, S. N., Werff, L. van der, Thomas, K. M., & Plaut, V. C. (2014). The role of diversity practices and inclusion in promoting trust and employee engagement. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45, 35-44.

  • Edwards, J. R. (1991). Person-job fit: A conceptual integration, literature review, and methodological critique, in Cooper, C.L. and Robertson, I.T. (Eds), International Review of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, Vol. 6, Wiley, New York, NY, 283-357.

  • Engelbrecht, A. S., Heine, G., & Mahembe, B. (2017). Integrity, ethical leadership, trust and work engagement. Leadership and Oganisational Development Journal, 38(3), 368-379.

  • Ferdman, B. M., & Roberts, L. M. (2014). Creating inclusion for oneself: knowing, accepting, and expressing one’s whole self at work, in Ferdman, B.M. and Deane, B.R. (Eds), Diversity at Work: The Practice of Inclusion, John Wiley & Sons Inc., San Francisco, CA, 93-127.

  • Findler, L., Wind, L. H., & Mor Barak, M. E. (2007). The challenge of workforce management in a global society: modeling the relationship between diversity, inclusion, organizational culture, and employee well-being, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Administration in Social Work, 31, 63-94.

  • Foss, N. J., Minbaeva, D. B., Pedersen, T., & Reinholt, M. (2009). Encouraging knowledge sharing among employees: How job design matters. Human Resource Management, 48(6), 871-893.

  • Fujimoto, Y., Rentschler, R., Le, H., Edwards, D., & Hartel, C. E. J. (2014). Lessons learned from community organizations: Inclusion of people with disabilities and others. British Journal of Management, 25(3), 518-537.

  • Gambetta, D. (1988). Can we trust trust?, in Gambetta, D. (Ed.), Trust: Making and Breaking Cooperative Relations. Basil Blackwell, New York, NY, 213-38.

  • Geiger, K. A., & Jordan, C. (2014). The role of societal privilege in the definitions and practices of inclusion. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 33(3), 261-274.

  • Gillespie, N., & Mann, L. (2004). Transformational leadership and shared values: The building blocks of trust. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 19(6), 588-607.

  • Giovannini, M. J. (2004). Valuing diversity in all shapes and sizes - what gets measured gets done: Achieving results through diversity and inclusion. Journal for Quality and Participation, 27(4), 21-27.

  • Gotsis, G., & Grimani, K. (2016). The role of servant leadership in fostering inclusive organizations. Journal of Managemet Development, 35(8), 985-1010.

  • Greenberger, D. B., Strasser, S., Cummings, C. L., & Dunham, R. B. (1989). The impact of personal control on performance and satisfaction. Organisational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 43(1), 29-51.

  • Gupta, V., & Kumar, S. (2012). Impact of performance appraisal justice on employee engagement: A study of Indian professionals. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 35(1), 61-78.

  • Hair, J. F, Christian, M. R., & Sarstedt, M. (2011). PLS-SEM: Indeed a silver bullet. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 19(2), 139-151.

  • Hallberg, U. E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2006). ‘Same same’ but different? Can work engagement be discriminated from job involvement and organizational commitment?. European Psychologist, 11(2), 119-27.

  • Hansen, A. M., Byrne, Z. S., & Kiersch, C. E. (2013). Development and validation of an abridged measure of organizational justice. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 147(3), 217-244.

  • Heaney, L. (2010). Surviving the cut employee engagement: A case study, (Graduation Dissertation, National College of Ireland).

  • House, R. J., & Rizzo, J. R. (1972). Role conflict and ambiguity as critical variables in a model of organizational behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 7, 467-505.

  • Huong, L., Zheng, C., & Fujimoto, Y. (2016). Inclusion, organisational justice and employee well-being. International Journal of Manpower, 37(6), 945-964.

  • Ibarra, H. (1993). Personal networks of women and minorities in management: A conceptual framework. Academy of Management Review, 18(1), 56-87.

  • Ito, J. K., & Brotheridge, C. M. (2005). Does supporting employees’ career adaptability lead to commitment, turnover, or both?. Human Resource Management, 44(1), 5-19.

  • Xu, J., & Thomas, H. C. (2011). How can leaders achieve high employee engagement?. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 32(4), 399-416.

  • Jones, M. C., Smith, K., & Johnston, D. W. (2005). Exploring the Michigan model: the relationship of personality, managerial support and organizational structure with health outcomes inentrants to the healthcare environment. Work and Stress, 19(1), 1-22.

  • Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work, Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692-724.

  • Kreiner, G. E., & Ashforth, B. E. (2004). Evidence toward an expanded model of organizational identification. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(1), 1-27.

  • Kreiner, G. E., & Ashforth, B. E. (2004). Evidence toward and expanded model of organizational identification. Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 25(1), 1-27.

  • Kristof, A. L. (1996). Person-organisation fit: An integrative review of its conceptualizations, measurement, and implications. Personnel Psychology, 49(1), 1-49.

  • Kristof-Brown, A. L. (1996). Person-organization fit: distinguishing between recruiter’s perceptions of person-job and person-organization fit. Personnel Psychology, 49, 1-49.

  • Kumar, D. P., & Swetha, G. (2011). A prognostic examination of employee engagement from its historical ischolar_mains. International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, 2(3), 232-241.

  • Lauver, K. J., & Kristof-Brown, A. L. (2001). Distinguishing between employee’s perceptions of person-job and person-organization fit. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 59, 454-470.

  • Lee, J. (2012). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement: Empirical study of hotel employees and managers. Doctoral dissertation, Kansas State University.

  • Lepine J. A., & Crawford, E. R. (2010). Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 53(3), 617-635.

  • Lirio, P., Lee, M. D., Williams, M. L., Haugen, L. K., & Kossek, E. E. (2008). The inclusion challenge with reduced-load professionals: The role of the manager, Human Resource Management, 47(3), 443-461.

  • MacLeod, D., & Clarke, N. (2009). Leadership and employee engagement: passing fad or a new way of doing business?. International Journal of Leadership in Public Services, 6(4), 26-30.

  • Markos, S., & Sridevi, M. S. (2010). Employee engagement: The key to improving performance. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(12), 89-96.

  • Matz-Costa, C., Carapinha, R., & Catsouphes, M. P. (2012). Putting age in context: Relational age and inclusion at the workplace. Indian Journal of Gerentology, 26(1), 50-74.

  • Mayer, R., & Gavin, M. (1999). Trust for management and performance: Who minds the shop while the employees watch the boss?, Annual Meeting of Academy of Management, Chicago, IL, August.

  • Mayer, R., Davis, J., & Schoorman, F. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709-34.

  • Meyerson, D., Weick, K., & Kramer, R. (1996). Swift trust and temporary groups, in Kramer, R.M. and Tyler, T. R. (Eds), Trust in Organizations: Frontiers of Theory and Research. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, 166-95.

  • Miller, F. A. (1998). Strategic culture change: The door to achieving high performance and inclusion. Public Personnel Management, 27(2), 151-160.

  • Mor Bank, M. E. (2015). Inclusion is the key to the diversity management but what is inclusion?. Human Service Organisations Management, Leadership and Governance, 39(2), 83-88.

  • Mor Barak, M. E. (2000). The workplace inclusion: An ecosystems approach to diversity management. Social Work, 45(4), 339-353.

  • Mor Barak, M. E. (2011). Managing Diversity: Toward A Globally Workplace inclusion. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

  • Mor Barak, M. E., Findler, L., & Wind, L. H. (2001). Diversity, inclusion and commitment to organizations: International empirical explorations. Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management, 2, 70-91.

  • Mor Barak, M. E., & Levin, A. (2002). Outside of the coporate mainstream and excluded from the work community: A study of diversity, job satisfaction and well-being. Community, Work and Family, 5, 133-157.

  • Nair, N., & Vohra, N. (2015). Diversity and inclusion at the workplace: A review of research and perspective. Working Paper No. 2015-03-34.

  • Nembhard, I. M., & Edmonson, A. C. (2006). Making it safe: the effects of leader inclusiveness and professional status on psychological safety and improvement efforts in health care teams. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(7), 941-966.

  • Networks, Annual Review of High Performance Coaching & Consulting, Vol. 1 (1),187-215.

  • Newton, C. J., & Jimmieson, N. L. (2009). Subjective fit with organizational culture: an investigation of moderating effects in the work stressor-employee adjustment relationship. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20(8), 1770-1789.

  • Ozbilgin, M. F. (2009). Equality, diversity and inclusion at work: yesterday, today and tomorrow, in Ozbilgin M.F. (Ed.), Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Work. A Research Companian, Edward Elgar Publishing Cheltenham, 1-13.

  • Pelled, L. H., Ledford, G. E., & Mohrman, S. A. (1999). Demographic dissimilarity and workplace inclusion. Journal of Management Studies, 36(7), 1013-1031.

  • Perrin, T. (2003). Working today: Understanding what drives employee engagement. Talent report. US.

  • Plummer, D. L. (2003). Overview of the field of diversity management, in Plummer, D.L. (Ed.), Handbook of Diversity Management: Beyond Awareness to Competency Based Learning, University Press of America Inc, Lanham, MD, 1-50.

  • Resick, C. J., Baltes, B. B., & Shantz, C. W. (2007). Person-organization fit and work-related attitudes and decisions: Examining interactive effects with job fit and conscientiousness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(5), 1446-1455.

  • Roberson, Q. (2006). Disentangling the meanings of diversity and inclusion in organizations. Group and Organization Management, 31(2), 212-236.

  • Rooney, J. A., & Gottlieb, B. H. (2007). Development and initial validation of a major of supportive and unsupportive managerial behaviours. Journal of Vocational Behaviours, 71(2), 186-203.

  • Rooney, J. A., Gottlieb, B. H., & Newby-Clark, I. R. (2009). How support related managerial behaviours influence employees: An integrated model, Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24(5), 410-427.

  • Rooney, J. A., Gottlieb, B. H., & Newby-Clark, I. R. (2009). How support-related managerial behaviors influence employees: An integrated model. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24(5), 410-427.

  • Ryan, A. M., & Kossek, E. E. (2008). Work-life policy implementation: Breaking down or creating barriers to inclusiveness?. Human Resource Management, 47, 295-310.

  • Saks, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600-619.

  • Salanova, M., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2008). A cross-national study of work engagement as a mediator between job resources and proactive behavior. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(1), 116-131.

  • Salanova, M., Agut, S., & Peiro, J.M. (2005). Linking organizational resources and work support and burnout, job satisfaction, and productivity. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(1), 84-93.

  • Schalkwyk, S. V., Toit, D. H. D., Bothma, A. S., & Rothmann, S. (2010). Job insecurity, leadership empowerment behaviour, employee engagement and intention to leave in a petrochemical laboratory, Journal of Human Resource Management, 8(1), 1-7.

  • Schaufeli, W. B., Martinez, I. M., Marques, P. A., Salanova, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). Burn-out and engagement in university students: A cross-national study. Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, 33, 464-481.

  • Schoorman, F. D., Mayer, R. C., & Davis, J. H. (2007). An integrative model of organisational trust: past, present and future. Academy of Management Review, 32(2), 344-354.

  • Sekigunchi, T. (2004). Person-organisation fit and person-job fit in employee selection: A review of the literature. Osaka KeidaiRonshu, 54(6), 179-196.

  • Sharkie, R. (2009). Trust in leadership is vital for employee performance. Management Research News, 32(5), 491-498.

  • Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Ehrhart, K. H., & Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model for future research. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1262-1289.

  • Shuck, B., Reio, T. G. Jr., & Rocco, T. S. (2011). Employee engagement: An examination of antecedent and outcome variables. Human Resource Development International, 14(4) 427-445.

  • Tepper, B. J. (2000). Consequences of abusive supervision. Academy of Management Journal, 43(2), 178-90.

  • Thomas, L. T., & Ganster, D. C. (1995). Impact of family-supportive work variables on work-family conflict and strain: A control perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80(1), 6-13.

  • Thompson, C., Beauvais, L. L., & Lyness, K. S. (1999). When work-family benefits are not enough: The influence of work-family culture on benefit utilization, organizational attachment, and work-family conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 54(3), 392-415.

  • Tims, M., Bakker, A. V., & Xanthopoulou, D. (2011). Do transformational leaders enhance their follower’s daily work engagement?. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(1), 121-131.

  • Tuckey, M. R., Dollard, M. F., & Bakker, A. B. (2012). Empowering leaders optimize working conditions for engagement: A multilevel study. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 17(1), 15-27.

  • Vohra, N., Chari, V., Mathur, P., Sudarshan, P., Verma, N., Mathur, N., Thakur, P., Chopra, T., Srivastava, Y., Gupta, S., Dasmahapatra, V., Fonia, S., Gandhi, H.K., (2015). Workplace inclusions: Lessons from theory and practice. Vikalpa, The Journal for Decision Makers, 40(3), 324-362.

  • Wilson, K. (2009). A survey of employee engagement. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri).

  • Wong, C. A., Spence-Laschinger, H. K., & Cummings, G. G. (2010). Authentic leadership and nurse’s voice behaviour and perceptions of care quality. Journal of Nursing Management, 18(8), 889-900.

  • Woods, S. (2002). Creating inclusive organization: Aligning systems with diversity. Profiles in Diversity Journal, 4(1), 38-39.

  • Xu, J., & Thomas, H. C. (2011). How can leaders achieve high employee engagement?. Leadership and Organisational Development Journal, 32(4), 399-416.

  • Yeh, C. M. (2013). Tourism involvement, work engagement and job satisfaction among frontline hotel employees. Annals of Tourism Research, 42, 214-239.

  • Zhang, X., & Bartol, K. M. (2010). Linking empowering leadership and employee creativity: The influence of psychological empowerment, intrinsic motivation, and creative Process engagement. Academy of Management Journal, 53(2), 107-128.

  • Zhu, W., Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2009). Moderating role of follower characteristics with transformational leadership and follower work engagement. Group & Organization Management, 34(5), 590-690.


Abstract Views: 1244

PDF Views: 10




  • Exploring the Relationship Between Workforce Diversity, Inclusion and Employee Engagement

Abstract Views: 1244  |  PDF Views: 10

Authors

Sushmita Goswami
Institute of Business Management, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India
Brijesh Kishore Goswami
Department of Management, BSACET, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract


The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between workplace inclusion (WI) and employee engagement (EE) and the effect of workplace diversity, managerial support and trust in leader on workplace inclusion. The study has used a survey to collect data from employees working in the private telecom companies in India, using a structured questionnaire (n=383) of National Capital Region (NCR), India. To identify the factors which determine workplace inclusion and employee engagement multiple regression model has been used and further, Karl Pearson correlation has been used to establish the correlation between variables. This paper found three factors which determined workplace inclusion: workforce diversity; managerial support, and trust in leader. The results point out that the workforce diversity has a significant positive relationship with workplace inclusion (β=0.20, p<0.05), managerial support on workplace inclusion (β=0.18, p<0.05), trust in the leader on workplace inclusion (β=0.28, p<0.05). Similarly, there is also positive and significant effect of trust in leader on workplace inclusion (β=0.17, p<0.05) and finally, workplace inclusion also effects positively and significantly on employee engagement (β=0.29, p<0.05). Study on inclusive work place and employee engagement is critical as it provides an understanding that how organizations can encourage and facilitate the full participation of employees. This study also provides practical interventions for human resource development professionals to assist individuals and organisations towards increasing more workplace inclusion and more employee engagement.

Keywords


Employee Engagement, Workforce Diversity, Managerial Support, Trust in Leader, Workplace Inclusion.

References