Cross-level Effects of Diversity Climate on Employee Organizational Identification: Evidence from Law Enforcement Units

Abstract

While benefits of psychological diversity climate have been enumerated in public administration literature, less is known about the effects of diversity climate at the aggregate level. To fill this gap, this study implements a multi-level analytical approach to examine the relationship between workgroup diversity climate and employee organizational identification in the law enforcement sector. To estimate this relationship, I employ a multi-wave population survey data collected from 1,519 employees in 136 units of a law enforcement agency in the United States. Results suggest that workgroup diversity climate was positively associated with organizational identification. However, this relationship was found more salient for White employees than employees of color. This study discusses the implications for public management research and diversity management practices in the public sector.