You are here

Diversity Management and Its Impact on HRM Practices: Evidence from Kuwaiti Companies

Journal Name:

Publication Year:

DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.17015/ejbe.2017.020.05
Abstract (2. Language): 
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Diversity Management implementation in Kuwaiti context and try to reveal its effects on human resource management practices. Data was collected through questionnaires from a variety of companies in the service sector in Kuwait. Convenient sampling method is applied. Among the questionnaires distributed 354 useful ones from 87 different companies were considered. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with varimax rotation is used to determine the underlying dimensions of HRM and DM. Furthermore, a regression analysis is used to measure the effects of diversity management on HRM. The major findings of this study are as follows: first, there is a positive significant relationship between Diversity Management policies and Human Resources Management practices. The “ability to manage people from different backgrounds” have the most significant effect on HRM practices, followed by “Ability to work in harmony with people from different cultures” component, then “Avoidance of discrimination” component.
71
88

JEL Codes:

REFERENCES

References: 

Ali, A. J., and Al-Kazemi, A. (2006). Human Resouce Management in Kuwait. In: P. S. Budhwar
and K. Mellahi, eds. Managing Human Resources in the Middle-East (pp. 79-95). Abingdon:
Routledge.
Diversity Management and Its Impact on HRM Practices: Evidence from Kuwaiti Companies
EJBE 2017,10(20) Page | 85
Ali, M., Metz, I., & Kulik, C. T. (2015). The impact of work-family programs on the relationship
between gender diversity and performance. Human Resource Management, 54(4), 553-576.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21631
Ardakani, M. S., Abzari, M., Shaemi, A., & Fathi, S. (2016). Diversity Management and human
resources productivity: Mediating effects of perceived organizational attractiveness,
organizational justice and social identity in Isfahan’s steel industry. Iranian Journal of
Management Studies, 9(2), 407-432.
Ashikali, T., & Groeneveld, S. (2015). Diversity management for all? An empirical analysis of
diversity management outcomes across groups. Personnel Review, 44(5), 757-780.
https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-10-2014-0216
Baird, L., & Meshoulam, I. (1998). Managing two fits of strategic human resource
management. Academy of Management Review, 13(1), 116-128.
https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.1988.4306802
Bendl, R., Fleischmann, A. & Walenta, C. (2008). Diversity management discourse meets
queer theory. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 23(6), 382-394.
https://doi.org/10.1108/17542410810897517
Bennington, L. & Roberts-Calvert, B. (1997). Anti-discrimination legislation and HRM
practice. Caulfield East, Vic.: Dept. of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics,
Monash University.
Benschop, Y. (2001). Pride, prejudice and performance: Relations between HRM, diversity
and performance. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12(7), 1166-1181.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09585190110068377
Celebioglu, F. (2017). Women Employment in terms of Gender Inequality across the
Provinces of Turkey. Eurasian Journal of Business and Economics, 10(19), 61-80.
https://doi.org/10.17015/ejbe.2017.019.04
Cooke, F. & Saini, D. (2010). Diversity management in India: A study of organizations in
different ownership forms and industrial sectors. Human Resource Management, 49(3), 477-
500. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20360
Dickens, L. (1998). What HRM means for gender equality. Human Resource Management
Journal, 8(1), 23-40. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-8583.1998.tb00157.x
Donnelly, R. (2015). Tensions and Challenges in the Management of Diversity and Inclusion
in IT Services Multinationals in India. Human Resource Management, 54(2), pp. 199-215.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21654
Ely, R. J. & Thomas, D. A. (2001). Cultural diversity at work: The effects of diversity
perspectives on work group processes and outcomes. Administrative Science Quarterly,
46(2), 229-273. https://doi.org/10.2307/2667087
Forstenlechner, I., Lettice, F., & Özbilgin, M. (2012). Questioning quotas: applying a relational
framework for diversity management practices in the United Arab Emirates. Human
Resource Management Journal, 22(3), 299 - 315. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-
8583.2011.00174.x
Friday, E. & Friday, S. S. (2003). Managing diversity using a strategic planned change
approach. Journal of Management Development, 22(10), 863-880.
https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710310505467
Oualid ABIDI, Halil ZAIM, Dina YOUSSEF, Houshang HABIBNIYA & Alper BARAN
Page | 86 EJBE 2017, 10(20)
Goby, V. P., Nickerson, C., & David, E. (2015). Interpersonal communication and diversity
climate: Promoting workforce localization in the UAE. International Journal of Organizational
Analysis, 23(3), 364-377. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-09-2014-0796
Harel, G., Tzafrir, S. & Baruch, Y. (2003). Achieving organizational effectiveness through
promotion of women into managerial positions: HRM practice focus, 14(2), 247-263.
Hung, D. K. M., Ansari, M. A. & Aafaqi, R. (2004). Fairness of human resource management
practices, leader-member exchange and organizational commitment. Asian Academy of
Management Journal, 9(1), 99-120.
Iles, P., Almhedie, A., & Baruch, Y. (2012). Managing HR in the Middle East: Challenges in the
public sector. Public Personnel Management, 41(3), 465-492.
https://doi.org/10.1177/009102601204100305
Jamali, D., Abdallah, H., & Hmaidan, S. (2010). The challenge of moving beyond rhetoric:
paradoxes of diversity management in the Middle East. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An
International Journal, 29(2), 167-185. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610151011024484
Jenkins, A. K. (2008). Age discrimination in hotel workplaces: HRM practices and their effects
on the employment of "older" workers. Glasgow, University of Strathclyde.
Jie, S., D’Netto, B., & Jiong, T. (2010). Effects of human resource diversity management on
organizational citizen behaviour in the Chinese context. International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 21(12), 2156-2172. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2010.509622
Kandola, R. S., & Fullerton, J. (1998). Diversity in Action: Managing the Mosaic. s.l.:CIPD
Publishing.
Klarsfeld, A., Ng, E. S., Booysen, L., Castro Christiansen, L., & Kuvaas, B. (2016). Comparative
equality and diversity: Main findings and research gaps. Cross Cultural and Strategic
Management, 23(3), 394-412. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-03-2016-0083
Kochan, T., Bezrukova, K., Ely, R., Jackson, S., Joshi, A., Jehn, K., Leonard, J., Levine, D.,
& Thomas, D. (2003). The effects of diversity on business performance: Report of the
diversity research network. Human Resource Management, 42(1), 3-21.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.10061
Konrad, A., Yang, Y., & Maurer, C. (2016). Antecedents and outcomes of diversity and
equality management systems: An integrated institutional agency and strategic human
resource management approach. Human Resource Management, 55(1), 83-107.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21713
Kossek, E. E., Lobel, S. A., & Brown, J. (2006). Human resource strategies to manage
workforce diversity. In: A. M. Konrad, P. Prasad and J. K. Pringle, eds. Handbook of
Workplace Diversity (pp. 53-74). London: Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781848608092.n3
Kossek, E. E., Markel, K. S., & McHugh, P. P. (2003). Increasing diversity as an HRM change
strategy. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 16(3), 328-352.
https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810310475550
Kuwait Central Statistical Bureau. (2015, December). Annual Statistical Abstract: Central
Statistical Bureau. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from
https://www.csb.gov.kw/Socan_Statistic_EN.aspx?ID=18
Lamba, S., & Choudhary, N. (2013). Impact of HRM practices on organizational commitment
of employees. International Journal of Advancements in Research and Technology, 2(4), 407-
423.
Diversity Management and Its Impact on HRM Practices: Evidence from Kuwaiti Companies
EJBE 2017,10(20) Page | 87
Laurent, A. (1986). The cross‐cultural puzzle of international human resource management.
Human Resource Management, 25(1), 91-102. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930250107
Louvrier, J. (2014). Diversity Management: At the center of HRM and Leadership.
Liiketaloudellinen Aikakauskirja, 4, 323-329.
Marchington, M., & Grugulis, I. (2000). 'Best practice' human resource management: perfect
opportunity or dangerous illusion? International. Journal of Human Resource
Management, 11(6), 1104-1124. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585190050177184
McMahan, G. C., Bell, M. P., & Virick, M. (1998). Strategic human resource management:
Employee involvement, diversity, and international issues. Human Resource Management
Review, 8(3), 193-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-4822(98)90002-X
Meena, K., & Vanka, S. (2017). Developing an empirical typology of diversity-oriented human
resource management practices. Journal of Management Development, 36(7), 915-
929. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-02-2016-0031.
Naz, F., Aftab, J., & Awais, M. (2016). Impact of human resource management practices
(HRM) on performance of SMEs in Multan, Pakistan. International Journal of Management,
Accounting and Economics, 3(11), 699-708.
Noon, M. (2010). The shackled runner: Time to rethink positive discrimination? Work,
Employment and Society, 24(4), 728-739. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017010380648
Nyambegera, S. M. (2002). Ethnicity and human resource management practice in sub-
Saharan Africa: the relevance of the managing diversity discourse. International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 13(7), 1077-1090.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09585190210131302
Pfeffer, J. (1998). Seven practices of successful organizations. California Management
Review, 40(2), 96-124. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165935
Ravazzani, S. (2016). Understanding approaches to managing diversity in the workplace: an
empirical investigation in Italy. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal,
35(2), 154-168. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-08-2014-0062
Richard, O. C., Roh, H., & Pieper, J. R. (2013). The link between diversity and equality
management practice bundles and racial diversity in the managerial ranks: Does firm size
matter? Human Resource Management, 52(2), 215-242. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21528
Roberge, M.É., Lewicki, R.J., Hietapelto, A., & Abdyldaeva, A. (2011). From theory to practice:
Recommending supportive diversity practices. Journal of Diversity Management, 6(2), 1-20.
Roh, H., & Kim, E. (2016). The business case for gender diversity: Examining the role of
human resource management investments. Human Resource Management, 55(3), 519-534.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21736
Shen, J., Chanda, A, D'Netto, B., & Monga, M. (2009). Managing diversity through human
resource management: an international perspective and conceptual framework. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20 (2), 235-251
https://doi.org/10.1080/09585190802670516
Staples, D. S., & Zhao, L. (2006). The effects of cultural diversity in virtual teams versus faceto-
face teams. Group Decision and Negotiation, 15(4), 389-406.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10726-006-9042-x
Oualid ABIDI, Halil ZAIM, Dina YOUSSEF, Houshang HABIBNIYA & Alper BARAN
Page | 88 EJBE 2017, 10(20)
Sutton, J. L., & Pierce, L. G. (2003). A framework for understanding cultural diversity in
cognition and teamwork. Washington DC, the 8th International Command and Control
Research and Technology Symposium.
Thomas, D. C. (1999). Cultural diversity and work group effectiveness an experimental study.
Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, 30(2), 242-263.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022199030002006
Vodosek, M. (2007). Intragroup conflict as a mediator between cultural diversity and work
group outcomes. International Journal of Conflict Management, 18(4), 345-375.
https://doi.org/10.1108/10444060710833469
Yaghi, A., & Yaghi, I. (2013). Human resource diversity in the United Arab Emirates: empirical
study. Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, 6(1), 15-30.
https://doi.org/10.1108/17537981311314682
Zaim, H. (2016). Analysing the effects of knowledge management processes on human
resource management practices: A case study on an oil company in the Gulf region. Middle
East Journal of Management, 3(3), 230-243. https://doi.org/10.1504/MEJM.2016.079749

Thank you for copying data from http://www.arastirmax.com