Racial/Ethnic Differences in Employee Perceived Organizational Performance, Job Satisfaction, and Diversity Management Among the U.S. Federal Public Health Agencies

• Author: In-Gu Kang,Nayoung Kim,Barbara A. Bichelmeyer
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00910260221129250
• Published date: 01 March 2023
• Date: 01 March 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/00910260221129250

Public Personnel Management

2023, Vol. 52(1) 70 –90

© The Author(s) 2022

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/00910260221129250

journals.sagepub.com/home/ppm

Article

Racial/Ethnic Differences

in Employee Perceived

Organizational Performance,

Job Satisfaction, and Diversity

Management Among the

U.S. Federal Public Health

Agencies

In-Gu Kang1, Nayoung Kim2,

and Barbara A. Bichelmeyer1

Abstract

This study identified personal and organizational environmental factors associated

with perceived organizational performance (POP) and moderation of race/ethnicity

in these relationships with POP in the U.S. federal government employees among

10 health agencies. Cross-sectional, nationally representative data were obtained

from the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Federal Employee Viewpoint Surveys, completed

by 117,353 (weighed 190,736) employees among 10 health agencies. We employed

multivariable linear models of POP to examine associations between job satisfaction

and organizational environmental factors and POP and to assess the effects of racial/

ethnic minority as a modifier on these relationships after controlling for sampling

weights. Job satisfaction, trust in leadership, organizational procedural justice, and

diversity management were positively associated with POP. Significant moderating

effects of race/ethnicity were observed in the relationships of POP with job

satisfaction and diversity management. In the conclusion, we discuss how federal

public health agencies strategically develop management practices, particularly for

employees of color.

1University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA

2University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA

Corresponding Author:

In-Gu Kang, University of Kansas, 1515 St Andrews Dr., Lawrence, KS 66047, USA.

Email: ingukang@ku.edu

1129250PPMXXX10.1177/00910260221129250Public Personnel ManagementKang et al.

research-article2022

Kang et al. 71

Keywords

federal health agencies, employees of color, White employees, perceived organizational

performance, strategic management practices

The governmental workforce in the public health and human service sector, as a key

component of public health infrastructure, has a major role in protecting and pro-

moting public health and the well-being of the people (Gebbie et al., 2002). While

the demands on governmental public health agencies have been evolving due to

system and demographic transformations (e.g., aging and diversity; Gebbie et al.,

2002; Jarris & Sellers, 2015; Leider et al., 2018), the public health workforce has

been faced with major challenges such as employee recruitment and retention over

the past decades (Erwin & Brownson, 2017; Leider et al., 2016). Recent data

showed that about 40% of the U.S. government employees in the public health sec-

tor intend to leave their organization, and such a shortage may cause a great loss of

expertise and reduced organizational performance and productivity in public health

agencies (Leider et al., 2016). More seriously, this high-level turnover intention

becomes remarkable among employees of color (Liss-Levinson et al., 2015). These

findings, therefore, call for urgent attention to workforce development in employ-

ees of color who work for public health and welfare in the public health and service

sector.

Employee perceptions related to environments in the workplace have been a

matter of great interest to the human resource management field (Cooil et al., 2009).

Employee perceptions of experience in their work environments significantly influ-

ence organizational outcomes. A meta-analysis found that positive employee per-

ceptions of work environments, high-level employee engagement, and job

satisfaction favorably influence employee behaviors which in turn lead to improved

organizational performance (Harter et al., 2002). It, however, should be noted that

such associations may vary by subgroups of race/ethnicity. Mor Barak et al. (1998)

discovered that there are significant racial/ethnic differences in employee percep-

tions of personal and organizational climates on diversity. This phenomenon is

remarkable, especially in employees who work at governmental health agencies.

Racial/ethnic minority employees in governmental health agencies endorsed that

they are less satisfied with their jobs and salary, have fewer training opportunities

or recognition from creativity and innovation, and receive less support from their

supervisors than do nonminority employees (Sellers et al., 2019). This negative

perception of organizational climates leads to high turnover and decreased organi-

zational outcomes.

Performance has been a critical issue in that enhancing performance is the ulti-

mate goal of human resource development and organization management (Becker

& Gerhart, 1996; Swanson & Arnold, 1996). Perceived organizational performance

(POP), defined as “personal interpretations of signals that indicate organizational

performance” (Bhansing et al., 2016, p. 910), is a reliable proxy of organizational

actual performance (Brewer, 2005; Moynihan & Pandey, 2005) and significantly