Implementation of Diversity Management Programs in Public Organizations: Lessons from Policy Implementation Research

Abstract

The U.S. workforce is becoming more diverse, particularly in the public sector. As a result, a number of public-sector employers have initiated diversity management programs aimed to assist different types of employees in their needs at work. While much of the public administration literature has focused on these programs and what makes them work, it has largely ignored a cognate area of study that has much to say about the success of such programs: the policy implementation literature. This article uses policy implementation research to develop five guidelines for public managers who wish to develop a successful diversity management initiative.

Keywords:

• diversity
• diversity management
• policy implementation
• affirmative action

Notes

58. Jehn, K.; Northcraft, G.; Neale, M., Opening Pandora's Box: A Field Study of Diversity, Conflict, and Performance in Work Groups. 1997, Working paper, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.