EFFECT OF WORKFORCE DIVERSITY ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN KENYA: A CASE OF KENYA SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT
Abstract
Today, workforce diversity is a major challenge that has easily turned into a losing situation for all involved, leading to demoralization of employees thus affecting employee performance in many organizations. The workforce diversity in terms of ethnicity and education aspects can lead to demoralization of employees thus affecting employee performance. The purpose of the study was to establish the effects of workforce diversity on employee performance in Kenya with a case of Kenya School of Government as the study area. The study adopted a case study research design. The target population was 690 employees at Kenya School of Government. A sample of 87 employees of the target population at Kenya school of Government and the study area was considered because of proximity to the researcher, accessibility and time limit. The study adopted stratified sampling method for primary data collection. The primary data was collected through the use of questionnaires and secondary data was obtained from published documents such as journals, periodicals, magazines and reports to supplement the primary data. A pilot study was conducted to pretest the validity and reliability of instruments for data collection. The raw information was analyzed to yield qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data was analyzed with help of SPSS version 21 and MS excel. The variables were regressed and study findings showed that independent variables significantly and positively influenced employee engagement at Kenya School of Government. Education diversity was the most significant factor and had a positive significant relationship at 5% level of significance. It was established that all independent variables influenced employee performance. The study recommends effective policies and strategies regarding the, education background diversity and ethnic diversity in the workforce for better employee performance at Kenya school of government.
Key Words: Workforce Diversity, Employee Performance
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Carrel, M. R. (2006). Defining WorkforceDiversity Programs and Practices in Organizations: A Longitudinal Study.Labour Law Journal. Spring 2006
Chen, P. & Choi, Y. (2008). Generational differences inwork values: a study of hospitality management. International Journal of ContemporaryHospitality Management, (20)6: 595-615.
Childs, J. (2005). Managing Workforce Diversity at IBM: A Global HR Topic That Has Arrived.Human Resource Management,Spring2005.44(1), 73-77 @ 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Cohen, W. M., &Levinthal, D. A. (2000). Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly,35, 128-152.
Cohen, S. G., & Bailey, D. E. (2001). What makes teams work: Group effectiveness research from the shop floor to the executive suite.Journalof Management, 2(3), 230-290.
Collins, M., Hair, J., & Rocco, T. (2009). The Older-Worker-Younger-Supervisor Dyad: A test of the reverse Pygmalion effect. Human ResourceDevelopment Quarterly, (20)1: 21 41
Crawford, A. & Hubbard, S. (2008). The impact of workrelated goals on hospitality industry employee variables.Tourism and Hospitality Research,(8)2: 116-124
Dahlin, K., Weingart, L., Hinds, P., 2005. Team diversity and information use. The Academy of Management Journal 48 (6), 1107–1123
Dahm, M. (2003). The development of a needs analysis instrument for cultural diversity training: WDQ-II. Unpublished manuscript,University of Houston, Texas.
Depree, M. (1998) Leadership is an art. New york
Dessler, G. (1998).Management, int. ed., Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey, NJ.
Dietz, J and Peterson, L-E. 2006. Diversity Management. Pp. 223-244: Handbook of Research in International Human Resource Management. Stahl, Günter K. –Björkman, Ingmar (eds.), Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, UK.
Donald R Cooper, William Emory (1995) Business Research Methods (5th Edition) Library of Congress.
Dressler, G. (2006). A Framework for Human Resource Management, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall
Ely, R.T., and Thomas, D.A. (2001). Cultural Diversity at Work: The Effects of Diversity Perspectives on Work Group Process and Outcomes.Administrative Science Quarterly, 5:229-273.
Hambrick, D. C., & Mason, P. A. (2002). Upper echelons: The organization as a reflection of its top managers. Academy of Management Review, 9(2), 193- 206.
Holland, J. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of career.EnglewoodCliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
Huber, S. G. (2004). Preparing school leaders for the 21st century: an international comparison of development programs in 15 countries. London: Taylor & Francis Group
Human Rights Campaign. (2007). The state of the workplace. Retrieved December 6, 2008, from http://www.hrc.org/documents/State_of_the_Workplace.pdf
Jackson, S. E., May, K. E., & Whitney, K. (2005). Understanding the dynamics of diversity in decision-making teams. In R. A. Guzzo, E. Salas, &Associates (Eds.), Team effectiveness and decision making in organizations (204-261). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Jain,H.C.,andVerma, A.(1996). Workforce diversity,employment equity/affirmative action programs and public policy in selected countries. International Journal of Manpower17(4/5):14–29
Jehn, K. (1994). Enhancing effectiveness: An investigation of advantages and disadvantages of value-based intragroup conflict.International Journal of Conflict Management, 5 (3), 223-38.
Kigali. (2006). Training Manual on Conflict Management, The National Unity and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Rumanda.
Kochan, T., Bezrukova, K., Ely, R., Jackson, S., Joshi, A., &Jehn, K. (2003). The effects of diversity on business performance: Report of the diversity research network. HumanResource Management, 42, 3-21.
Kreitner, R &Kinicki, A 2001, Organizational behaviour, 5th edn, McGraw-Hill, Sydney.
Kreitner, R &Kinicki, A 2004, Organizational behaviour, 6th edn, McGraw-Hill, Sydney
Kupperschmidt, B. (2000). MultigenerationEmployees:Strategies for Effective Management. HealthCare Manager, (19)1: 65-76.
Kenya School of Government Act (2012)
Lee, Y. (2011). Report: Firm must do more to retain keep women staff [Electronic version]. The Star.Retrieved May 29, 2011.
Milliken, F. J., & Martins, L. L. (1996).Searching for common threads: Understanding the multiple effects of diversity in organizational groups.Academy of Management Review, 21, 402–433.
Mugenda, O.M. &Mugenda, A.G. (2003).Research methods: Quantitative and qualitative approaches.2nd. Rev. ed. Nairobi:Act press.
Naff, K. C. (2004). From Bakke to GrutterandGratz: The Supreme Court as a policymaking institution. Review of Policy Research, 21, 405-427.
Nguata. W. (2013) Challenges Of Implementing Workforce Diversity Policies In Kenyan Public Universities
Nemetz, P. L., & Christensen, S. L. (1996). The challenge of cultural diversity: Harnessing a diversity of views to understand multiculturalism. Academyof Management Review, 21, 434–462
Ostergaard, Christian R. &Timmermans, Bram &Kristinsson, Kari. (2011). "Does a different view create something new? The effect of employee diversity on innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, 40(3), 500-509.
Rau, B. L., & Hyland, M. M. (2003). Corporate teamwork and diversity statements in college recruitment brochures: effects on attraction. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(12), 2465−2492.
Richard, O. C. (2000). Racial diversity, business strategy, and firm performance: A resource- based view. Academy of Management Journal, 43(2), 164-177
Roberson, L. &Kuluk, C. T. (2007).Stereotype Threat at Work
Rubaii-Barrett, N., & Wise, L. R. (2007a). From want ads to Web sites: What diversity messages are state governments projecting? Review of Public Personnel Administration, 27, 21-3
Sessa, V., Kabacoff, R., Deal, J. & Brown, H. (2007).Generational Differences in leader values and leadership behaviors.
Shani, A. B. and Lau, J.B. (2005).Behavior in Organizations: An Experiential Approach. (8th Ed), New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Schultz, H., Bagraim, J., Potgieter, T., Viegde, C. & Werner, A. 2003.Organisational behavior. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
Thomas, R.R. (2006). Redefining Diversity.New York: AMACOM.
Wong, M., Gardiner., Lang, W., &Coulon, L. (2008).Generational differences in personality and motivation.: Do they exist and what are the implications for the workplace? Journal of Managerial Psychology, (23)8: 878-890.
Zemke, R., Raines, C. &Filiczak, B. (1999).Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, BabyBoomers, Xers, and Nexters in your workplace,Americ
Zgourides, G. D., Johnson, L., & Watson, W. E. (2002).The influence of ethnic diversity on leadership,group process, and performance: an examination of learning teams , 2-8.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v2i2.131
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
PAST ISSUES:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.