Moderating Effect of Organizational Factors on the Relationship between Diversity Management Strategy and the Performance of Public Universities in Kenya

Abstract

This study was designed to establish the effect of organizational factors on the relationship between workforce diversity management on the performance of public universities in Kenya. The study utilized descriptive correlational survey research design with emphasis on descriptive and analytical designs to put into perspective the effect of organizational factors on the relationship between workforce diversity management and performance of public universities in Kenya. The population of the study constituted all the public universities in Kenya. This being a census study, the data was collected from all registrars in charge of human resource management and administration in all public universities, by use of questionnaires. This study employed the test-retest technique to ascertain the reliability of the data collection instruments. The findings obtained from this study are useful to the following people: Scholars and academicians; can use the findings of this research as a contribution towards the existing knowledge on workforce diversity management related studies. Students and academicians wishing to carry out research in the field of workforce diversity management can use this study and its findings as a source of literature. This study provides policy makers in public Universities and other institutions of higher learning with alternative and appropriate interventions that can be employed for attaining successful workforce diversity management. On overall significance, organizational factors did not have significant moderating effect on the relationship between workforce diversity and university performance in that they had an overall significance value greater than the set p-value ? (Overall significance = 0.057). However, on individual significance, the degree of moderation varies from one organizational factor to another with University act/statutes, University culture and location of the university all had significantly moderate positive effect (r_xy.z = 0.269 p-value = 0.024, r_xy.z = 0.285 P-value = 0.019 and r_xy.z = 0.270 P-value = 0.014) respectively. This implies that the presence of University act/statutes, University culture and location in the correlation model improves the relationship between workforce diversity and universities performance. The study was based on the premise that workforce diversity influence performance but this influence is moderated by a number of organizational factors. The study results supported this premise in that workforce diversity was found to significantly and positively affect performance with forty eight point six percent of the performance being explained by workforce diversity.

Key words: Organizational Factors, Diversity Management Strategy and Performance