Workforce Diversity and Job Satisfaction of the Majority and the Minority
| Published date | 01 March 2017 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0734371X15623617 |
| Author | Sungjoo Choi |
| Date | 01 March 2017 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
research-article2016
Article
Review of Public Personnel Administration
2017, Vol. 37(1) 84 –107
Workforce Diversity and Job
© The Author(s) 2016
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and the Minority: Analyzing
the Asymmetrical Effects of
Relational Demography on
Whites and Racial/
Ethnic Minorities
Sungjoo Choi1
Abstract
The structural approaches of workforce diversity note that the racial composition of
work groups may affect work attitudes of racial/ethnic minority and White employees
in different ways. Analyzing the data from the federal workforce, this study examines
how the racial mixture of the agency affects job satisfaction of racial/ethnic minority and
White employees. To do so, three models for all employees, Whites, and racial/ethnic
minorities were tested using ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions with agency-
fixed effects. The results suggest that holding a minority status in their agency may
bring lower job satisfaction to both racial/ethnic minority and White employees. Racial/
ethnic minorities reported the lowest job satisfaction in predominantly White settings,
while Whites expressed the lowest job satisfaction in minority–majority settings. In
contrast, racial/ethnic minorities reported the highest job satisfaction when they hold
a majority status in their agency (minority–majority settings). Interestingly, Whites
seem to be most satisfied in White-majorities settings, which are less homogeneous
than predominantly White settings. The finding for all employees showed that federal
employees stated higher satisfaction in White-majorities settings than in others.
Keywords
diversity, representation, relational demography, job satisfaction, Federal Government HRM
1Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
Corresponding Author:
Sungjoo Choi, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 130-701,
South Korea.
Email: sungjoochoi@khu.ac.kr
Choi
85
Introduction
Managing a diversified workforce has become an increasingly salient issue in organiza-
tions across the sectors (Pitts & Wise, 2010). Previous public administration research has
investigated how demographic diversity affects organizational and individual outcomes
such as performance, attitudes, and behaviors of employees. The recent interest has
shifted to various situational factors that comprise the context of the organization and
affect individuals within the organization (e.g., diversity management, procedural justice,
team processes, time, stability, and organizational culture) as considerable research has
revealed the critical impacts of organizational contexts on workforce diversity (e.g., Choi,
2009; Choi & Rainey, 2010; Pitts, 2009; Pitts & Jarry, 2009). Researchers contended that
the demographic diversity of the workforce should be considered within specific organi-
zational contexts to better understand the consequences of workforce diversity.
Structural perspectives on organizational management note that the social structure
is embedded in organizations and that the structural relationships may affect work
attitudes and behaviors of people within them (Pfeffer, 1991). Categorical distinctions
among group members may lead to ranking among groups, which define the structural
positions of groups within a society and often influence or lead to group-based inequal-
ity (DiTomaso, Post, & Parks-Yancy, 2007; Tajfel, 1981; Turner, 1987). Much empiri-
cal research on diversity from the structural view has been situated on private
organizations. Even some notable exceptions (e.g., Choi, 2009; Choi & Rainey, 2010;
Pitts & Jarry, 2007, 2009) have delivered limited insights into the dynamics in the
relationship between various demographic mixture of work groups and reactions of
different individuals in the context of public organizations.
This study, drawing on the structural view on workforce diversity, focuses on the
structural relationships between groups that seem to be closely related to group-based
inequality and the effects of the relationships on work attitudes of group members.
More specifically, it investigates how the demographic1 composition of federal agen-
cies is related to job satisfaction of members and how differently White and racial/
ethnic minority employees respond to variations in the demographic composition of
the agencies. Previous diversity research has simply concluded that a higher level of
demographic diversity has negative effects on individuals’ work attitudes (Choi, 2009;
Williams & O’Reilly, 1998). In addition, the research focus has been on the effects on
racial/ethnic minorities, overlooking those on Whites (Tsui, Egan, & O’Reilly, 1992).
A growing body of scholarship, however, notes that the consequences of the demo-
graphic composition of work groups for individuals are more complicated and need
in-depth discussion (Reskin, McBrier, & Kmec, 1999; Tsui et al., 1992). For example,
being the majority and the minority in a work group can bring asymmetrical effects on
Whites and racial/ethnic minorities (Tsui et al., 1992). It is equally important to under-
stand how increasing demographic diversity in work groups affects Whites, given that
Whites still constitute the majority of the workforce. This study will begin with a dis-
cussion of the relevant theoretical arguments and a review of the literature. Then,
hypotheses will be developed grounded on the literature review, and they will be sta-
tistically tested. Finally, the findings and implications will be discussed.
86
Review of Public Personnel Administration 37(1)
Theoretical Framework and Literature Review
Workforce Diversity Research in Public Administration
A large body of research in organizational management has been devoted to under-
standing the effects of workforce diversity on organizational and individual outcomes
(Milliken & Martins, 1996; Pitts & Wise, 2010; Wise & Tschirhart, 2000). A substan-
tial proportion of workforce diversity research in public administration is rooted in the
notion of representative bureaucracy (Pitts & Wise, 2010). Some research has investi-
gated the extent to which governmental organizations have represented demographic
groups including women and racial/ethnic minorities (e.g., Riccucci, 2009; Riccucci
& Saidel, 2001). Others have explored policy outcomes for beneficiaries, especially
women and racial/ethnic minorities who have not been equally represented in public
organizations and have had limited access to power and resources (e.g., Bradbury &
Kellough, 2008; Keiser, Wilkins, Meier, & Holland, 2002; Meier & Nicholson-Crotty,
2006; Sowa & Selden, 2003; Wilkins & Keiser, 2006).
More recently, some scholars have expanded their research to the impacts of work-
force diversity on organizational and individual outcomes in public agencies (e.g.,
Choi, 2009; Choi & Rainey, 2010; Pitts, 2005, 2009; Pitts & Jarry, 2007, 2009; Wise &
Tschirhart, 2000). They have found that workforce diversity can bring not only benefits
but also costs to the organizations and employees. Inconsistent findings suggest that
different contexts may influence the outcomes of workforce diversity. Since Thomas’s
(1990) popular argument on managing for diversity, managerial efforts for diversity
(e.g., diversity management programs, policies, and related practices) in public agen-
cies have received significant attention as an important factor that may moderate the
relationship between diversity and its outcomes (Choi, 2009; Choi & Rainey, 2010;
Pitts & Jarry, 2009). In addition, various individual (e.g., race, gender, tenure) and orga-
nizational characteristics (e.g., procedural justice, team process, result-oriented culture)
have been studied as potential moderators that may influence the diversity effects.
Structural Approaches to Workforce Diversity
The recent diversity literature in public administration (e.g., Choi, 2009; Choi & Rainey,
2010; Pitts & Jarry, 2007, 2009) has tested the diversity effects grounded on structural
perspectives. Structural theories presume that organizations are relational entities where
individuals interact with others, establish social relationships, and are affected by those
relationships (Pfeffer, 1991). Pfeffer (1991) states that “structural effects represent the
influence of an individual’s position in social space on that person because of the con-
straints and opportunities for interaction and social comparison that derive from the
structural realities” (p. 789). He also argued that “the relative proportions of groups
condition the form and nature of social interaction and group processes” that in turn
affect individuals’ attitudes and behaviors in the workplace (p. 303).
The early research focused on how membership in the numerical majority group or
the minority group affects individuals (Konrad, Winter, & Gutek, 1992). Two streams
Choi
87
of the demographic composition theories have been developed: “generic” composition
theory (Blau, 1977; Kanter, 1977) and “institutional” composition theory (Blalock,
1956; Gutek, 1985; Konrad et al., 1992, p. 116). Generic theories of group composi-
tion note that majority or minority status in a group will influence the work attitudes
and behaviors of individuals in a given group, but the majority or minority position of
the group to which those individuals belong...
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