Diversity Climate and Discrimination: The Moderating Roles of Social Identity and Team Composition

Abstract

Many scholars have highlighted the importance of workforce diversity in advancing public organizations’ legitimacy and responsiveness. During the past several decades, diversity recruitment efforts have considerably increased the ratios of women and ethnic minorities in the public sector. However, an increased ratio of minority employees may increase between-subgroup tension and discrimination within an organization, which has negative implications for employee work attitudes and well-being. This research attempts to understand the role of a positive diversity climate in reducing discrimination based on evidence from the law enforcement sector. Specially, this research examines the relationship between diversity climate and experienced discrimination at the team- and individual-level, using population data collected through multiple surveys from a law enforcement state agency. Results provide support for the relationship between workgroup diversity climate and group-level reports of discrimination, which is contingent on gender composition. Specifically, workgroup diversity climate has a more substantial impact on group-level reports of discrimination in a unit of a high ratio of women. Also, workgroup diversity climate has a negative association with individual reports of discrimination for women and nonwhite employees but not for men or white employees.