An exploratory study of the effects of diversity dimensions and intervening variables on attitudes to diversity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the increasingly important area of diversity management in multicultural settings. This paper examines several private organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as illustrative examples of the challenges facing global organizations seeking to utilise a hugely diverse labour force. The objective of the investigation is to shed more light on the intervening variables that connect diversity dimensions to personal attitudes on diversity. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 406 employees from ten organizations operating in the UAE were selected based on their length of service and contract type. These participants completed questionnaires as a means of determining their attitudes towards diversity in the workplace. The data were subjected to principal component analysis from which a regression model was derived that associates intervening variables identified from the study with personal attitudes to diversity. Findings – Three intervening variables (components) are found: commitment to the organization, frustration in the work environment and perceptions of respect and fairness. These are found to be correlated to personal attitudes to diversity in the workplace. Furthermore, location is found to be a differentiating factor in the context of commitment to the organization, with Dubai employees being more committed than those in Abu Dhabi – hence, both emirates expressed different views on diversity in the workplace. Research limitations/implications – Ensuring reliability of responses on such a sensitive topic, gaining access to a representative set of participant organizations and insufficient literature on related issues all impinged on the research investigation. The research has relevance to managers tasked with overseeing multicultural teams and human resource (HR) issues related to personal well‐being in the workplace. Originality/value – The identification of intervening variables is an under‐researched area that now can take direction from the results of this investigation. Practitioners will have a better understanding of how to achieve more positive attitudes to diversity and thus, improve group dynamics in the workplace by targeting these intervening variables in HR policies.