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Probing the Links between Workforce Diversity, Goal Clarity, and Employee Job Satisfaction in Public Sector Organizations

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  • Edmund C. Stazyk

    (Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA)

  • Randall S. Davis

    (School of Management and Marketing, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA)

  • Jiaqi Liang

    (Department of Public Administration, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA)

Abstract

A considerable body of research substantiating the importance of workforce diversity to public organizations has accrued over the past two decades. However, research on workforce diversity has also been narrow in scope and frequently fails to link diversity to important individual and organizational outcomes. Using data ( n = 1,109,134 employees from 500 sub-agencies) collected in three waves (2010, 2011, and 2012) of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), this study examines whether (1) increased diversity influences organizational goal clarity, (2) diversity and goal clarity, in turn, influence employee job satisfaction, and (3) diversity management policies influence job satisfaction by clarifying organizational goals for workers. FEVS is administered yearly by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and is designed to assess whether and to what extent federal employees believe the characteristics of successful organizations are present in their agency. Results from a multi-level structural equation model (MSEM) suggest diversity is associated with greater goal clarity and that diversity management policies, by clarifying organizational goals, positively affect job satisfaction. Findings also indicate that the type of diversity matters.

Suggested Citation

  • Edmund C. Stazyk & Randall S. Davis & Jiaqi Liang, 2021. "Probing the Links between Workforce Diversity, Goal Clarity, and Employee Job Satisfaction in Public Sector Organizations," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-16, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:11:y:2021:i:3:p:77-:d:603296
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nederveen Pieterse, Anne & van Knippenberg, Daan & van Ginkel, Wendy P., 2011. "Diversity in goal orientation, team reflexivity, and team performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 114(2), pages 153-164, March.
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    1. Martin Gelencsér & Gábor Szabó-Szentgróti & Zsolt Sándor Kőmüves & Gábor Hollósy-Vadász, 2023. "The Holistic Model of Labour Retention: The Impact of Workplace Wellbeing Factors on Employee Retention," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-25, May.
    2. Wai-Ming To & Billy T. W. Yu, 2021. "Effects of Difficult Coworkers on Employees’ Responses in Macao’s Public Organizations—The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.

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