Organizational Culture, Social Equity, and Diversity: Teaching Public Administration Education in the Postmodern Era

Abstract

An important issue closely related to social equity in public service delivery is the teaching of diversity/diversity management in public administration education.This essay addresses this observation in two ways. First, it provides an overview of the traditional cultural environment of public organizations and offers a view of a social equity subculture. Second, the essay presents a perspective on teaching diversity in public administration education as a way of enhancing a social equity focus in the classroom. The premise of this essay is that social equity can best be achieved if public administrators, public managers, and public service delivery personnel have a clear understanding and appreciation of diversity and diversity management that is built into the organization’s culture. If social equity is seen as having a connection to diversity within a public organization, it may affect how well the organization advances social equity in the public service delivery process. A concluding thought of the essay is that the teaching of social equity and diversity must be included in public administration education coursework and curricula and that a concerted effort should be made to diversify—racially and ethnically—public administration faculty.