Does Management Walk The Talk? Study Of Employee Perceptions

Abstract

A survey-based study was conducted in one of the largest Australian Government Agencies with the aim to (1) empirically assess the extent to which employees’ perceived management receptivity to diversity management (PMRDM) varies by gender, ethnicity, age and organizational tenure and (2) examine the influence of various dimensions of organizational climate for diversity (OCFD) on PMRDM. Findings revealed that PMRDM varies by organizational tenure only, with employees with less than 1 year tenure perceiving that management is receptive to diversity management than those with 6 to 10 years and over 10 years tenure. Furthermore, of the 13 predictor variables, status, fairness, inclusion and treatment were found to be the predictors of PMRDM, explaining 63 per cent of the variance in PMRDM. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed and the limitations of the study are noted along with suggested avenues for future research.