This study is within the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology. It focuses on the relationship between diversity management and organisational climate dimensions. The literature review indicates that most of the research conducted on these two concepts, diversity management and organisational climate investigated the concept diversity, not diversity management (Cox, 1993; Hicks-Clarke & Hies, 2003). This study specifically explores diversity management in a retail organisation. The empirical component of the study includes confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis and a correlational study investigating the relationship between diversity management and organisational climate. It was found that there is a positive and strong relationship between diversity management and organisational climate. Diversity management seems to correlate highly with the following climate dimensions: policies and procedures, discrimination, gender issues, equality in conditions of employment and employment equity. The results indicate that younger employees have more positive views regarding diversity management, and middle aged employees have less positive views regarding diversity management. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Admin (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / Although South Africa is 18 years into creating a unique diversity management strategy, individuals - directly affected by diversity in organisation will differ completely from those individuals that have not been affected by diversity in organisations at all. The subject of diversity management has become a contentious issue causing disagreement and argument is in the last couple of years. Many organisations find it difficult to grasp the concept of diversity, thus creating an opportunity for organisational development consultants and management to make substantial profit (Dombai & Verwey, 1999). In the current working environment and the continuous change of the organisation‟s employees, the workforce has become more diverse. This resulted in wider employee knowledge, skills, experience and attitude which will allow the organisation to become more competitive globally. It is of utmost importance for organisations attract and retain staff from different cultural and diverse group of order to improve the employee performance and the competitive advantage of the organisation (Ferreira & Coetzee, 2010). Cumming and Worley (2009, p. 506-509) postulate that “organisational transformation – and more specifically diversity management - is impacting on the bottom line results of the organisation”. Organisational transformation implies radical changes in how members perceive, think, and behave at work. They are concerned with fundamentality altering the prevailing assumptions about how the organisation function and relates to its environment. The study aimed at determining the employees‟ perception towards workplace diversity in a financial institution operating in the Western Cape. More specifically, the following questions will be investigated in this study: What are employees‟ perceptions of workplace diversity? Do employees differ in their views/perception of workplace diversity based on their age, race, job categories, gender, job status and qualification? To what extent is workplace diversity understood by employees? What challenges are being faced to effectively implement workplace diversity? Information was gathered from both secondary and primary resources. All relevant information that was not obtained from publications was gathered through the use of questionnaires that were completed by employees in the financial institution. The primary resources in this research study used are questionnaires that were distributed to employees in a financial institution to complete. Permission was obtained from executive management, provincial management, junior management and the human resources department to distribute the research study questionnaire to the staff in the financial institution. Data was analysed by using structural, methodical and clear reasoning. Data analysis, involving a descriptive study in order to determine the relationship between the employees‟ perception towards workplace diversity in a financial institution operating in the Western Cape The descriptive study created an understanding of the relationship between the employees‟ perception towards workplace diversity, for the researcher and the organisation. The Pearson method was used to determine whether there is a relationship between age, race, gender, job category and qualification and the perceptions of workplace diversity in a financial institution. The Health Professional Council of South Africa (HPCSA)‟s ethical code of Professional Conduct for Psychologists was strictly adhered to. Voluntary participation was critical to the study because of the participants‟ time and energy required as well as asking participants to reveal personal information to the researcher. Permission to conduct the research was obtained from the financial institution where study was undertaken. Informed consent was obtained from participants before starting the data gathering process. Three hundred and nine (309) respondents completed a biographical questionnaire as well as the workplace diversity survey in order to understand their perception and understanding of workplace diversity. To ascertain the perception of workplace diversity, respondents completed a workplace diversity survey. While the results of the current study reveals interesting findings, the results should be interpreted with caution due to the size of the sample used which impacts the generalizability of the findings.

Inom Human Resource Management är en av de viktigaste uppgifterna att rekrytera och behålla kompetent personal. Under senare år har ett ökat intresse för arbetsplatser präglade av mångfald även ökat intresset för Diversity Management. Samtidigt visar statistik att personer med funktionsnedsättningar fortfarande är underrepresenterade på den reguljära arbetsmarknaden. Särskilt utsatta är personer med dolda funktionsnedsättningar, som exempelvis Aspergers syndrom. Syftet med denna studie var att utifrån ett organisationsperspektiv besvara tre frågeställningar: vilka typiska egenskaper efterfrågas som av den sökande vid en rekryteringsprocess och på vilket sätt det påverkar det sökanden med Aspergers syndrom, betydelsen av rekryteringsprocessen som helhet för om potentiella kandidater med Aspergers syndrom inkluderas eller exkluderas, samt vilken betydelse HR-strategin gällande mångfald och social hållbarhet påverkar potentiella kandidater med dold funktionsnedsättning. Studien utgick från en kvalitativ ansats och ett tolkande synsätt, med tematisk analys av semistrukturerade intervjuer samt kvalitativ textanalys av skriftliga källor. Det empiriska materialet inkluderade intervjusvar från tio respondenter fördelade på sammanlagt åtta organisationer och tio platsannonser från vardera sex större organisationer med många anställda. Resultatet visade att rekryteringsprocessen riskerar att exkludera sökande med Aspergers syndrom, både på grund av att de nedsättningar som diagnosen medför innebär en nedsatt arbetsförmåga, men också på grund av hur rekryteringsprocessen är utformad. Resultatet visar också att rekryteringsprocessen och organisationens HR-strategi har betydelse för att inkludera potentiell arbetskraft med dolda funktionsnedsättningar som Aspergers syndrom i urvalsprocessen, samt att det finns potential för att förbättra rekryteringsprocessen på så sätt att rätt kompetenser identifieras, eftersöks och inkluderas i urvalsprocessen. I sammanhanget kan HR och Diversity Management användas som stödfunktion och verktyg för att skapa en inkluderande arbetsplats och en personalstyrka med ett omfattande kompetensspektrum. / In Human Resource Management, one of the most important functions is the recruitment and retainment of competent personnel. Recent years has brought an increased interest in workplaces characterized by diversity, and thereby an increased interest in Diversity Management. At the same time, statistics show that people with disabilities are underrepresented on the regular labour market. People with hidden disabilities, like Asperger Syndrome, are particularly exposed. The purpose of this study was to, through the perspective of HR, examine which typical characteristics are requested of the applicants during the recruitment process and how this affect applicants with Asperger Syndrome, the importance of the recruitment process regarding if potential candidates with Asperger Syndrome is included or excluded from the selection of candidates, and the importance of the HR-strategy for diversity and social sustainability regarding potential candidates with hidden disabilities. From a qualitative and interpretive approach, the study was conducted through a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and a content analysis of written sources. The empirical content included interview answers from ten respondents from eight organizations in total, and ten job advertisements each from six larger organizations with many employees. The results show that the recruitment process entails a risk of excluding applicants with Asperger Syndrome, because of the reduced functional capacity due to the diagnosis, but also due to how the recruitment process is designed. The results also show that the recruitment process and the HR-strategy of the organization affects the inclusion of protentional manpower with hidden disabilities like Asperger Syndrome from the selection process, and that there is potential in improvement of the recruitment process regarding identifying, searching and including the right kind of qualities. In this context, HR and Diversity Management can be used as supportive function and a tool for creating an inclusive workplace and a workforce with a comprehensive competence spectrum.

Demographic changes in the Swedish context due to the aging population leads to an escalation of retirements. This presents new challenges concerning labour shortage in organizations. Another important issue is cultural diversity which posts demands on employers to meet their service users needs. The main area of interest in this study is to investigate factors in an organization that connects to diversity and labour shortages and furthermore investigate the correlation between the two areas. To do this, a case study have been conducted using Umeå municipality as the case organization. Umeå is located in the north of Sweden with a population of about 120 000 residents. The method approach is qualitative, using semi-structured   interviews for data collection. The results suggests that terms and conditions for employees within the organization differs between majority and minority groups and that the cognitive awareness in the matter is diverse. The result also states the importance of strategic management such as follow ups, evaluations and designing of proactive standardizations for the HR   processes to reinforce anti-discrimination in the organizations. Our ambition is to give perspective on how norms influence the reality we create and recreate daily in our workplaces.

South Africa is no longer trapped in an apartheid era and is now perceived as a multinational state, implying that not only the composition of labour forces have changed, but all other institutions have developed into being more representative of all races. Thus whilst the workplace demographics are rapidly changing, more individuals are preparing themselves to enter the workplace. As a result more diverse cultures also prevail within hostels of higher educational institutions. The objectives of this study were to investigate individual preferences in terms of acculturation strategies as utilised by students in hostels of a higher education institution. Another important objective was to understand the effect of acculturation strategies has on the general well-being and health of individuals. In order to achieve these objectives, Berry's bi-directional Acculturation Model, as well as the Interactive Acculturation Model was used. A cross-sectional survey design with an availability sample (N = 245) was used, taken from hostel students of 3 higher education institution in South Africa. The questionnaire consisted of various items on the acculturation scale, as well as a biographical questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, Cronbach alpha coefficients, MANOVAs, Multiple Regression Analysis, and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to analyse the data. The results pointed out that females preferred Separation or Assimilation, while males preferred Integration as acculturation strategy. Female hostels preferred Separation as acculturation strategy and male hostels preferred Integration as acculturation strategy. Acculturation strategies in terms of race showed that White groups preferred integration and African groups preferred Separation. Regarding the effect that acculturation strategies have on health, males experienced high levels of physical health problems. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Due to large influx of migrants along with a declining rate of native Swedes in working age, corporations are devoting more time and resources for diversity management today. While much attention has been directed towards the gender equality aspect of diversity, less attention has been given to the management of employees with diverse ethnicities and/or nationalities, hence the cultural aspect of diversity. This qualitative case study aims to contribute to the research field on diversity management in Swedish businesses in general but more specifically how the Swedish state-owned company Svevia is working with cultural diversity, identified as a strategic premise in order to assure future business survival. Through semi-structured interviews with employees at all organizational levels, a thorough understanding has been achieved of how Svevia works with diversity management and how the organizational culture allows for cultural diversity to thrive. A range of theoretical perspectives are combined in the for this study established conceptual framework, a framework which has enabled this study to provide an understanding of how an organization as a whole system, and not just fragments of organization, operationalize diversity management. Focus was given to study the processes that underlie the translation towards an intended more diverse workforce and the shape this process takes within the company. The results show that the processes through which information is being transferred within the organization, allowing for a flexibility that enables the company to evolve influenced by society’s constantly shifting demands. Svevia’s management efforts in the area of cultural diversity is not as well developed as that of gender equality. This, in a combination with a rather fragmented organizational culture indicates that there is still room for improvement regarding Svevia’s work with cultural diversity. Svevia, continues to be rather homogenous when it comes to the composition of its workforce, not reflecting the society in which they operate even though measures have been taken. However, if the increased commitment for cultural diversity continues, Svevia will most likely face the growth of diversity in the Swedish labor market, with more ease than companies who do not take measures to improve the organizational culture to become more including and welcoming.

Diversity management and diversity training have been part of the standard management repertoire for several decades, and have recently received fresh impetus in the UK through the Equality Act 2010. The Police Services in England and Wales and in Scotland have further reasons to ensure the fair treatment of their own workforces and equality in their dealings with the public since the Macpherson Inquiry and the subsequent revelations relating to the Stephen Lawrence case. For the Police Service, diversity is particularly crucial as it forms a key element of public legitimacy and therefore impacts upon the very principle of ‘policing by consent’, the foundation of British policing (Jackson et al. 2012). However, diversity policies and diversity training tend to be viewed narrowly and used as a decontextualised medium to reduce racism (and other ‘isms’), seen as fulfilling their purpose regardless of the political and occupational context. This thesis, in contrast, suggests that there is a need to examine diversity management and diversity training, not only within an organisational context, but also within the broader political economy into which it is introduced and in which it is implemented. Tracing the various aspects that make up the political economy of policing, the thesis outlines social, economic, legal and political influences, as well as the occupational culture of the police and its emotional ecology. Given the longitudinal design of the research, and the profound changes that have occurred to the political economy of policing over a relatively short time, the thesis is able to examine the impact of these changes on diversity practices within the Police Service of Scotland. Longitudinal data collected at two points in time, 2008/9 and 2013 – straddling not only the introduction of the Equality Act 2010, but also the creation of a single Police Service in Scotland, amongst other changes – suggests that significant changes have occurred to diversity training and diversity professionals, as well as to the ways in which diversity is managed. Using the notion of emotional spaces, diversity training in particular reveals complex interactions in the context of the changes, exposing the tensions police officers and police staff are currently experiencing. Drawing on the analytical framework of emotional ecology, it is argued that in addition to other changes to the political economy of policing, diversity training courses reflect demands for the police to be more open, sensitive and collaborative, by challenging and ‘opening up’ the emotional ecology of the police during training. Interviews and longitudinal observational data suggest that this process has intensified greatly since the creation of Police Scotland, thereby placing competing demands on officers to consolidate the new with the conventional emotional ecology of the police.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilka attityder högskolestudenter har till etnisk mångfald. Studien var kvalitativ och underlaget utgjordes av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Ett bekvämlighetsurval tillämpades och totalt deltog 17 respondenter (n=17). Det insamlade materialet analyserades genom en tematisk analys som resulterade i tre huvudteman: rädsla, samhörighet och den etniska mångfaldens inverkan för organisationer. Studiens resultat visade att samtliga respondenter hade en positiv attityd till etnisk mångfald. Samtliga respondenter ansåg att mångfald bör främjas inom svenska organisationer för att organisationerna ska kunna bli innovationsrika, konkurrenskraftiga och tillfredsställa en bredare marknad samt tillvarata den kompetens som mångfalden innebär.

Gauging the quality of the relationship between federal managers and employees and its impact on organizational performance excellence is a continuing problem for the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM). President Barack Obama's President's Management Agenda mandated several actions- to respond to the problem. Part of the mandate was to use data from the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) to gauge the relationship between management and employees and overall performance. The FEVS is a tool that measures employees' perceptions of whether, and to what extent, conditions that characterize successful organizations are present in their agencies. The research question for the study was whether differences exist between the employees of higher and lower performing federal agencies as measured by the Engagement Index of the FEVS. The samples were controlled for sex, age, and education. Secondary- data obtained from the OPM 2014 FEVS were obtained for the research.- This quantitative study involved a nonexperimental, correlational, and descriptive research design. Multiple regression analysis determined differences among the dependent variables as portrayed within the high- and low-performing agencies. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the demographic variables. Analysis results of the 2014 FEVS report determined that no difference existed between employees- (n- = 258) from higher and lower performing agencies as measured by the FEVS. The study contributes to positive social change by enabling agencies to determine where managerial changes are necessary for agency performance. Longitudinal studies using the FEVS can contribute to future improvements in federal agencies performance improvements.

O objetivo principal desse estudo é identificar se há relações entre as práticas da gestão de diversidade e a percepção de desempenho em inovação, sob a moderação de três variáveis: o tamanho da empresa, a origem do capital e o setor em 133 empresas brasileiras. Há suporte que justifica a relação entre a diversidade e a inovação, no que diz respeito à composição demográfica organizacional (Yang, & Konrad, 2011), mas não há consenso e nem estudos empíricos quantitativos sobre as práticas de gestão da diversidade e a percepção de desempenho em inovação. Os resultados identificaram que as práticas de gestão da diversidade influenciam positivamente e explicam em 45% a percepção de desempenho em inovação. Porém, algumas práticas possuem maior influência do que outras, como os grupos de suporte e a integração. Ainda, a pesquisa identificou que o tamanho da empresa, o setor e a origem do capital são variáveis que moderam essa relação de influência das práticas de gestão da diversidade e a percepção de desempenho em inovação. Além disso, a moderação é mais forte em empresas de médio e pequeno porte do que as de grande porte, é mais forte no setor da indústria do que no setor de serviços e nas empresas de capital misto e privado é mais forte do que nas estatais. / The objective of this study is to identify whether there is a relationship between the diversity management practices and the performance perception in innovation, under the moderation of three variables: the size of the company, the source of capital and the sector in 133 Brazilian companies. There are supports that justify the relationship between diversity and innovation with respect to organizational demographic composition (Yang, & Konrad, 2011), but there is no consensus and no quantitative empirical studies on the diversity management practices and perception of performance in innovation. The results identified that the practices of diversity management explain in 45% and influence positively the perception of performance in innovation, being that, some practices have greater influence than others, such as support groups and integration. Moreover, the research identified that the size of the company, the sector and the origin of capital are variables that moderate this relationship of influence of the diversity management practices and the perception of performance in innovation. Yet, moderation is stronger in medium- to small-sized firms than in large ones, it is stronger in the industry than in the services sector and in mixed and private equity firms stronger than in state-owned enterprises.