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GETTING TO KNOW YOU: ETHNIC DIVERSITY, TIME AND PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS
Author(s) -
PITTS DAVID W.,
JARRY ELIZABETH M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.313
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-9299
pISSN - 0033-3298
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9299.2009.01776.x
Subject(s) - diversity (politics) , ethnic group , workforce diversity , normative , public relations , cultural diversity , process (computing) , workforce , work (physics) , proposition , political science , knowledge management , social psychology , sociology , psychology , business , computer science , law , engineering , mechanical engineering , philosophy , epistemology , operating system
Research on links between ethnic diversity and performance frequently illustrates that organizational diversity leads to process‐oriented problems and negative work‐related outcomes. This can cause problems for public managers who are tasked to increase workforce diversity for normative purposes but are nonetheless required to focus on performance goals. In this study, we test the proposition that managers can improve work‐related outcomes in diverse organizations by focusing on stability and allowing diverse groups to ‘get to know’ one another, a process that should improve communication and coordination difficulties inherent in ethnic diversity. Our results show that the negative relationship between ethnic diversity and organizational performance does indeed lessen with time and stability.