Managing cultural diversity and perceived organizational support - Essay Example

Leveson and Joiner (2008) have shown that an organizational culture based upon diversity management can lead to more productive employees. The research findings can be applied to enhancing the effectiveness of employee resourcing. Employee resourcing is one of the key success factors in creating a sustainable competitive advantage and managing cultural diversity is directly related to these issues. The research design that the authors have described has used the instrument of questionnaires to analyze the Australian workforce.

The sample was taken from the employees working for a large multinational company in Australia. Sampling and data collection were conducted in order to test the hypothesis about whether there was a direct positive association between addressing cultural diversity and affective commitment. The findings did not support this association. However the regression analysis indicated that there is an indirect association between cultural diversity management and affective commitment via perceived organizational support.

A real-world example of cultural diversity management can be found in Wal-Mart (Wal-Mart 2009 Sustainability Report). It is a large international discount retail chain which implements a variety of diversity programs in order to create an internationally diverse workforce. Programs such as diversity training and supplier diversity have enabled the multinational company to provide organizational support to minority-owned businesses. This has been a source of competitive advantage globally. The diversity management programs have enabled the company to build an organizational culture that supports employment resourcing effectively internationally.

Leveson and Joiner (2008) have illustrated in their research that given the increasing diversity in the Australian labor market, it is one of the key success factors for an organization to address the two aspects of cultural diversity: employee perception of organizational support for cultural diversity and access to the organization’s informal networks. The research findings support the existence of a positive association between the two aspects and perceived organizational support. The findings can be used in future research work focusing on other variables that are affected by cultural diversity management perceptions.

The associations between cultural diversity and organizational commitment enable the management to maintain a diverse workforce which can be more productive by combining different management styles. Even among non-managerial employees, cultural diversity perceptions are critical in ensuring a motivated workforce. A motivated workforce enhances organizational productivity because they are more committed to the business goals. Therefore the work by Leveson and Joiner (2008) will enable the management in an organization to combine the two factors of diversity management and productivity management.

A real-world business example is provided in the case of Wal-Mart. This company has built a strategically oriented organizational culture to facilitate productivity enhancements. One of the key success factors has been the diversity management programs that the company has implemented in different countries. Addressing culturally diverse management perceptions has enabled the company to tailor strategy formulation to the local market conditions. This business example illustrates the association between cultural diversity management perceptions and affective commitment which has been analyzed in the research design described by Leveson and Joiner.

Word count: 500. References Leveson, L. & Joiner, T. A., 2008. Managing cultural diversity and perceived organizational support: evidence from Australia. International Journal of Manpower [e-journal] 30(4), Available through: Emerald Group Publishing database [Accessed 19 March 2011]. Major Diversity Programs, 2009. Wal-Mart 2009 Sustainability Report – Major Diversity Programs. [online] Available at: [Accessed 19 March 2011].