Abstract
Any organization strives toward having a better framework of operational excellence and human resource management. Diversity-oriented programs are powerful instruments that enable a greater degree of employee efficiency and mental health increases through managerial and administrative activities. The research is aimed at understanding the effectiveness of diversity-promoting strategies in inducing productivity and a positive environment in the workplace. The literature on the subject is substantial and comprehensive in showing that diversity-oriented programs are the most appropriate and effective measures to facilitate improvements in employee mental wellbeing and efficiency. The latter is clearly impacted through superior productivity, operational performance, stress resilience, and motivation. The mental health metric is enhanced through better engagement, collaboration, supervision, workplace conditions, and organizational culture. However, the literature strongly emphasizes the importance of the top-down hierarchal integration of diversity because top managers need to be involved as well.
Introduction
It is important to note that managerial and administrative activities can impact and improve employee mental health and work efficiency. One such approach includes a heavy focus on the diversity factors within an organization. Diversity-oriented programs are powerful instruments in ensuring and promoting a higher level of diversity among workers, which leads to potential enhancements within an enterprise. Diversity-oriented programs in the form of managerial and administrative activities result in improved employee efficiency and mental health when applied to both the management and workforce.
Research Gap
The given analysis will primarily focus on the managerial and administrative activities in the framework of diversity-oriented programs as key drivers of improvement in employee mental health and work efficiency. The research question explored is whether diversity-oriented programs can improve employee mental health and work efficiently when they are directly implemented into managerial and administrative activities. The research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of diversity-promoting strategies in inducing productivity and a positive environment in the workplace. The issue is considered in the field of administration, specifically from the managerial point of view, as that proves to be the most influential position in an organization. Moreover, since the techniques reviewed must encourage inclusive behavior, the ultimate goal is to highlight solutions for issues associated with microaggressions and discrimination against minorities. The study will discuss existing diversity issues in U.S. institutions, noting areas that have been covered and those that are yet to be researched in detail. Finally, the applications of the study’s findings will be especially beneficial in improving management strategies in public sectors even outside the U.S.
Literature Review
In order to comprehensively and thoroughly address the research question, research gap, and the underlying issue, it is essential to consult and review the existing literature on the subject. One study focused on age diversity improvement in the workplace found that employee mental health can be improved through increased engagement and superior supervision. Evidence suggests “employees with similar-age supervisors were less engaged than employees with older supervisors. Moreover, while employees who did not know the ages of their supervisors were just as engaged as employees with older supervisors” (Yang & Matz-Costa, 2018, p. 156). In other words, promoting a greater degree of diversity on the basis of age alone in a workplace positively impacts the wellbeing of workers due to more optimized supervision and mentoring.
The connection between engagement and mental health is strong since it is substantiated with evidence on bettering impact on mental health problems (MHP). A study suggests that “employees with MHP who had the ability to turn off problems and regard the workplace as a liberated zone … these employees found it important to have a job and to engage” (Jansson & Gunnarsson, 2018, p. 591). Therefore, diversity programs designed to facilitate more age inclusion resulted in better mental health and engagement among workers. Another managerial and administrative activity focused on a diversity-oriented approach is a peer-run setting, which is reflective and representative of the main workforce composition. When compared to conventional methods or hybrid measures, “in direct comparisons, peer-run programs outranked all other groups in the areas of perceived organizational climate, supports for career development, and perceived service quality” (Jones et al., 2020, p. 150). Peer-run programs are diversity-oriented frameworks that are inclusive of peer interventions and input in the management process, which improve the organizational environment, workplace conditions, and work satisfaction.
However, the literature reveals even a greater range of benefits in mental health when it comes to a direct strategy aimed at promoting inclusion, equity, and diversity. A diversity-oriented program can include employee resource groups, multicultural education, industry collaboration, and community engagement. It is stated that “these actions have supported employees through the challenges of 2020, boosted morale, empowered teamwork, and enhanced relationships with our peers” (Campbell-Wray & Durham, 2022, p. 1). Thus, diversity-oriented programs enable better mental health among workers by providing them with more resilience to stressors as well as improved coping mechanisms through engagement. Mental health enhancements are additionally significant due to the elimination or minimization of discrimination and toxic workplace cultures. When it comes to programs aimed at supporting LGTBQIA2S+ employees, it is reported that “diversity management contributes to shaping the experience of LGB employees by reducing discrimination and increasing overall wellbeing at work” (Lloren & Parini, 2017). More inclusion, diversity, and less discrimination directly enhance all employees’ mental health and psychological wellbeing.
When it comes to the impact of diversity-oriented programs as managerial and administrative activities, greater diversity facilitates a higher level of worker efficiency and superior performance. A study found that “the management of cultural diversity, employees’ perception of marginalization, and conflict significantly influences diversity management. Furthermore, diversity management and teamwork significantly influence organizational efficiency” (Inegbedion et al., 2020, p. 1). In other words, managers, who are willing to improve their efficiency metrics, should seek to enable greater diversity in an organization since the evidential connection is strong. In order to substantiate the statement, research from the commercial banking sector shows that diversity-oriented programs enable greater efficiency through better incentives and motivation, and the impact was the greatest if it included managers as well (Davydenko et al., 2018). Therefore, not only higher diversity equates to more engagement-based mental health improvements but additionally boosts efficiency through motivation. It is understandable that workers would be more encouraged to grow and develop if they see diversity among managers. The latter is a strong signal that they can reach such a top position if they increase their performance, including efficiency.
An organization can approach its diversity from a multitude of angles, which necessitates the use of a proper approach. One might simply force diversity to increase on workers, which would severely hinder its positive benefits and cause harm. Therefore, such measures need to be implemented structurally and systematically as a diversity-oriented program. Evidence suggests that “the importance of having a fit between employees’ perceptions of an organization’s approach to diversity and employees’ personal value for diversity in order for inclusion to result in positive employee behaviors” (Rabl et al., 2020, p. 531). In other words, managers must be aware of the employee perceptions about diversity as a key determining factor for the proper change induction. As with any organizational change, a diversity increase will most likely be resisted by the existing pool of workers. Thus, only a format of a program oriented around diversity can enable an appropriate transition since it has a specific learning and integration approach inherent to it.
Employee and organization efficiency is directly caused by diversity improvements in the form of administrative and managerial measures. A study found that “gender diversity increases innovation efficiency … the positive effect of gender diversity on innovation efficiency is strengthened in the contexts when the task intensity … market competition, or uncertainty is high” (Xie et al., 2020, p. 1). Promoting a more inclusive environment for women in a male-dominated work environment and vice versa can significantly boost efficiency as well as the overall organizational resilience to stressors, such as competition, uncertainty, and intensity of work.
Although most studies focus on diversity-oriented programs with an emphasis on a specific demographic factor in order to eliminate the impact of confounding variables, the observations collectively demonstrate applicability across all diversity dimensions. For instance, evidence suggests that “there was a strong relationship between gender diversity and employee performance, and the variations of gender diversity could be explained by employee performance” (Thuma, 2018, p. 1). Additionally, there is “a strong relationship between ethnicity, and employee performance variations of ethnicity could be predicted by employee performance and on the last objective findings showed a strong relationship between generational difference and employee performance” (Thuma, 2018, p. 1). In other words, diversity enhancement and promotion should seek to improve within all domains in order to achieve the greatest boost in employee performance through superior efficiency.
Many institutions and organizations in the United States are not effectively combatting workplace discrimination against minorities because the policies do not factor in the critical evidence, such as the benefits and advantages of diversity-oriented programs. It is stated that “hierarchical position diversity is negatively related to employee competence and satisfaction, which in turn negatively affects operational performance” (Choi et al., 2017, p. 2738). Thus, enabling diversity only in lower levels does not cause significant improvements since managers and even top managers need to be diversified as well. The educational element of diversity-oriented programs has a massive influence on facilitating employee efficiency and organizational efficiency. It was found that organizational “education diversity positively affects innovative climate, employee competence, and employee satisfaction, thus increasing the innovation and operational efficiency of an organization” (Choi et al., 2017, p. 2738). Therefore, managers and administrators need to put in a deliberate effort to ensure that inclusion and representation are prevalent across the hierarchal composition of an organization.
It is important to note that the COVID-19 pandemic was not only detrimental to global public health but additionally caused a major economic recession. One of the most attractive aspects of diversity improvements through diversity-oriented programs is that companies can become more resilient to such external threats through such measures. It is reported that pro-diversity policies’ effects are “stronger during economic downturns and in firms that are more innovative, value intangibles and human capital more highly, have greater growth options … and have stronger governance” (Mayer et al., 2017, p. 617). In addition, the greatest impact of diversity-oriented programs can be seen in organizations with the lowest diversity metrics, such as the top management team (TMT). A study shows “a positive effect of TMT gender diversity on employee productivity and a strong positive TMT gender diversity–employee productivity relationship in organizations with a low level of board gender diversity” (Luanglath et al., 2019, p. 71). Therefore, efficiency among workers is facilitated by higher productivity and performance if the diversity affects the representation among top managers.
Research Methods
It should be noted that the methodological approach follows a mixed-methodology procedure to gather data from anonymous surveys and unstructured group interviews. The anonymous surveys are to be organized with employees of several administrative branches over the course of two weeks to ensure their entire completion. Each survey must follow a standardized procedure of anonymity and informed consent to guarantee participants’ rights and ensure complete truthfulness. The selected method allows gathering sufficient data regarding the institution’s current diversity policies and their efficacy.
At the same time, the participants will presumably answer the questions and respond to the given stimuli with maximum clarity since the survey is anonymous. The survey points include close and open-end questions, those that require both shorter and more extended responses. Additionally, the final element of the first methodological part must comprise a debriefing paragraph to inform the employees of the study’s aim and possible applications of the recorded and analyzed results.
Surveys can be submitted online using the appropriate technology, and group interviews will take place in the offices of employees. Site selection allows essential data collection in settings similar to those where people work, increasing the validity of the findings. All participants will receive follow-up information, including the results of the group interviews. This is crucial since the goal of the study is to increase diversity awareness in administrative jobs. Thus, the debriefing process is an essential part of the study’s ethical considerations and objectives.
It is evident from the study setting and population of interest that managerial awareness and employee motivation are critical to resolving the issue. In order to set the context for the study, the desired outcomes must be outlined. In that way, the mixed-methodology approach will be conducted in 8-10 administrative corporations in 2022. The locations represent top influential institutions in five conservative states: Alabama, West Virginia, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. As previous studies have demonstrated, the following states have the lowest inclusivity and diversity rates (Montez et al., 2020). The population comprises over 100 employees of lower and higher rankings.
The second method involves conducting unstructured group interviews. The interviews must be held in groups of five to allow all the employees the opportunity to share their ideas equally. The main goal of the second method is to gain insight into the employees’ views on existing diversity policies and their own creative strategies for developing and improving them. The participants must be debriefed on the goals and procedure of the study as well as its perspective applications. Group interviewing was selected as the most suitable method as it can effectively form a continuation of the first part of the study.
Communication between the employees in each interview group can contribute to gaining further insight into any workplace inclusivity issues. At the same time, the survey responses serve as the foundation for any additional details to be discussed. The unstructured form of group interviews was selected as it allows for a free flow of thoughts and ideas without restricting the participants to rigid questions. Ultimately, the methodology provides an opportunity for the interviewer to inform the employees of any inclusivity methods they may have been unaware of with the aim of encouraging open-mindedness with this issue.
Interview groups will be divided into uniform categories based on job titles. This will allow managers from each branch to respond openly to the few questions and hopefully stimulate brainstorming on the topic. Using purposive sampling, the candidates are divided into equal groups for recruitment. Various characteristics of the population should be taken into account, such as age, gender, and ethnicity. The participants, aged 20-50 years, form a 3:2 male-to-female ratio, and over 30% identified themselves as being part of a minority group. These demographic factors are crucial in understanding how different social groups perceive any issues related to diversity in the workplace.
Discussion
On the basis of the literature review and thorough analysis, one can conclude that diversity-oriented programs in the form of managerial and administrative activities can improve employee efficiency and mental health. The latter is clearly impacted through increased better engagement, collaboration, supervision, workplace conditions, and organizational culture. The efficiency metric is enhanced through superior productivity, operational performance, stress resilience, and motivation. In addition, such practices lead to a significant reduction in discrimination and marginalization of minority groups due to more inclusive policies and managerial representation.
It is important to note that a key factor in determining the success of diversity increase measures is the implementation of such methods in the framework of a program in order to include an educational element. Employee perception of change and their subsequent resistance can be overcome effectively through facilitative learning and training. The most crucial aspect of diversity-oriented programs is centered around their scope and application because top managers need to be affected by such changes as well. A sole diversity increase in low-level positions does not lead to a significant improvement as a thorough hierarchal transition towards better diversity.
Due to the overabundance of information in favor of diversity, organizations need to make their training more targeted in areas such as efficiency and mental health. It is important to develop specific competencies of employees and help solve specific commercial problems of the organization. It is necessary to choose training and development programs on narrower topics with a more accurate presentation of information and the promise of a specific result. HR professionals and HR directors should set stricter criteria for promoting dissent among employees and managers (Thomas, 2020). It may be appropriate to seek help from consultants, trainers, and diversity training agencies. In addition, organizational policies should increase demands within the organization on employees and managers to promote diversity.
It is the diversity that forms, manifests, and allows an organization to compare the real significance of talent attracted by management. It is important to take into account the role of social, economic, administrative, and other resources since they are necessary for the range of forecasts and alternative solutions. One should consider the likely results, providing a field of comparability, the possibility of selectivity, and the potential for optimizing the most effective variant of targeted impact (Thomas, 2020). This is due to the initial definition of efficiency as an indicator of correlation, both probabilistically calculated and actually assessed by incurred costs and directly obtained results.
The expansion of diversity leads to a complication of the strategy, perception, and limitation of the components of any complex formations. Initially, based on the formalization of the variety, they are necessary for the program implementation leading to its expansion (Thomas, 2020). It is critical at the development stage to introduce and master the use of innovative resources of diversity through developed and applied measures on the basis of managerial influences. In other words, the solutions demonstrate a steady trend toward addressing the common issues of efficiency and mental health.
Conclusion
In conclusion, diversity-oriented programs in the form of managerial and administrative activities can improve employee efficiency and mental health. The top-down organizational change implementation approach is necessary for the most effective outcome on these metrics of interest. The efficiency metric is increased through superior productivity, operational performance, stress resilience, and motivation. Employee mental health is influenced through increased better engagement, collaboration, supervision, workplace conditions, and organizational culture. The educational component of diversity-oriented programs is a vital element in ensuring the change of employee perception of changes and mining the overall resistance toward them.
References
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