The efficacy of civil service worldwide varies significantly, as evidenced by disparities in government performance (
Patrick & Odoba, 2023
;
Yusuf, 2019
). A considerable gap exists between governments’ performance in developed and developing countries (
Kaufmann & Kraay, 2023
;
OECD, 2017
). In Nigeria, a developing country, the lackadaisical performance of government employees is a strong determinant of civil service inefficiency, hindering the ability to meet the efficiency and speed required for effective service delivery (
Magbadelo, 2024
;
Lucky & Abraham, 2021
). Employee performance is the extent to which an employee meets and exceeds assigned job deliverables (
Ituma et al., 2024
;
Rabiu et al., 2024
).
Research has identified employee commitment as a key driver of job performance in the civil service (
Ituma et al., 2024
;
Ucherwuhe, 2024
). Employee commitment is one of the proxies of employee performance, defined as the level of dedication and loyalty an employee has towards their organisation (
Dinku, 2018
). According to
Okongo et al. (2024)
, employee commitment reflects the alignment of personal goals with those of the organization. It encompasses an employee’s persistence in executing job responsibilities and meeting organisational demands, as well as their psychological involvement and attachment to their job (
Inegbedion, 2024
). This study posits that a higher level of employee commitment correlates with improved employee performance, while low commitment leads to declining performance.
Extant studies (
Elliott et al., 2024
;
Ucherwuhe, 2024
;
Yusuf, 2019
) on civil service functionality have highlighted various factors that can promote or undermine performance. While the performance of civil servants is critical, this study specifically examines the sources and composition of civil servants in relation to workplace diversity. According to
Tjimuku and Atiku (2024)
, workplace diversity encompasses the differences and similarities among employees regarding age, gender, education, religion, and ethnicity. Human characteristics represent key areas of similarity and difference in social contexts, such as the civil service, and can significantly impact organizational functionality and performance, depending on how they are managed. Consequently, workplace diversity is not only inevitable but also essential to incorporate into organizational practices.
Workplace diversity has several dimensions (
Jasem et al., 2024
;
Tjimuku & Atiku, 2024
;
Onuorah & Ntagu, 2024
;
Tamunomiebi & Ebere, 2020
). Commonly identified dimensions include age diversity, gender diversity, and ethnic diversity, although these often represent isolated descriptions. This study focuses on experiential diversity (
Arman et al., 2024
;
David & Prasanna, 2024
;
Spanjer & van Witteloostuijn, 2017
). This dimension of workplace diversity has been explored in existing literature from various perspectives, and this classificatory approach will be utilized in the study.
Experiential diversity, as defined by
Kaelin and Jonathan (2023)
, encompasses the range of experiences employees bring to the workplace, including variations in skills, knowledge, and professional backgrounds. It emphasizes the importance of diverse experiences in shaping perspectives and approaches to work. Furthermore, it highlights the role of professional education in enhancing job performance, as diverse knowledge, skills, and job-related attitudes are leveraged in the workplace (
Heller et al., 2020
). Given the complexity of civil service structures, especially in countries like Nigeria, experiential diversity is crucial for effective service delivery.
Unlike their counterparts in developed countries, public entities, including civil services in many developing nations, often fail to meet or exceed expected efficiency levels in service delivery due to the attitudes of civil servants (
Yusuf, 2019
). Nigeria’s civil service faces similar challenges, compounded by its multi-ethnic composition. Civil servants often harbour biases and discriminatory attitudes that hinder workplace inclusion. Although the government has attempted to promote workplace diversity through policies to ensure representation from various ethnic groups, such efforts have not effectively ensured true workplace diversity. Studies (
Ucherwuhe, 2024
;
Onuorah & Ntagu, 2024
) have reported job dissatisfaction among civil servants and low commitment levels, contributing to poor job performance.
One major contributor to employee dissatisfaction and low commitment is the lack of diverse experiences within Nigeria’s growing civil service system (
Yusuf, 2019
). This issue has fostered favouritism and nepotism, which limit the inclusion of experienced professionals in the Nigerian civil service, leading to low commitment and dissatisfaction among civil servants. A comprehensive literature review reveals a gap in analysing the role of experiential diversity on employee performance. Therefore, this study aims to bridge this gap by empirically investigating experiential diversity and employee commitment within Nigerian Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
2. Literature Review2.1. Concept of Workplace Diversity
Workplace diversity is a political, nebulous and cloudy concept in nature (
Janssens & Steyaert, 2021
). Diversity encompasses acknowledging and respecting the differences of one another in an organizational setting. Diversity is generally adopted in today’s activities, especially in an organisational setting, due to the wide-ranging scope of the definition.
Kirby et al. (2023)
said that framing diversity in terms of perspectives and skills rather than demographic groups fundamentally undermines the original ingenuities of diversity. However, this view is limited in capturing the full scope of diversity. The concept is viewed within the dimensions of work experience, ethnicity, gender, educational background, race, disability, sexual orientation, age, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the examination of these differences in a conducive and inspiring environment. It is about tolerating one another and moving beyond mere acceptance to reverencing the importance of a diverse workplace.
Mor-Borak (2019)
provides a comprehensive definition of diversity based on narrow, broad, and conceptual rule category-based definitions. The narrow category definition is centered around the United States of America’s experience with racial diversity, as determined by discrimination legislation. This includes factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, disabilities, and age. The broad-based category definition encompasses both visible and non-visible characteristics of diversity. Visible characteristics include attributes such as religion, education, and tenure within an organization. The conceptual category-based definition of diversity assumes that members of a particular culture are likely to share common values and norms that define their behaviours. These shared behaviours and views contribute to a sense of belonging within the group and influence perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, regardless of whether they represent the minority or majority views. Some studies have considered experiential diversity (
Arman et al., 2024
;
David & Prasanna, 2024
;
Spanjer & van Witteloostuijn, 2017
). This classification is adopted in this study.
2.2. Experiential Diversity
Experiential diversity is one of the important types of diversity, targeting the affinities, hobbies, and abilities of individuals (
De Anca & Aragón, 2018
). It involves an individual’s ability to successfully perform various business-related tasks across diverse areas by applying multiple capabilities, skills, and knowledge acquired from their wide work experience (
Spanjer & van Witteloostuijn, 2017
). Prior diversity research has significantly focused on the effects of various types of diversity on the success or effectiveness of businesses, using different moderators and mediators. Recent research by
El Telyani et al. (2022)
studied experiential diversity as a part of deep-level diversity and examined its effect on overall organizational performance through innovative culture.
The study suggests a positive effect of age and experiential diversity on firm performance through innovative culture.
Al-Rawashdeh et al. (2020)
found a link between experiential diversity and organizational performance in Jordanian firms. In another study,
Zouaghi et al. (2020)
used a mediated-moderated model to examine the effect of team diversity on innovative performance in a Spanish sample, discovering that education and skill diversity have a negative effect on a firm’s innovation performance.
Bader et al. (2019)
reported a positive relationship between functional experience and organizational performance using organizational socialization theory.
2.3. Employee Commitment
Commitment is an individual’s psychological attachment to an organization in terms of its essence, mission, vision, goals, and values. It measures an employee’s willingness to put in effort and stay with the organization. In this context, it reflects the psychological mindset of an individual (
Okongo et al., 2024
). It can be said to involve putting in one’s best effort at work by exceeding management expectations, which constitutes high-level commitment. This is often determined by an employee’s attachment and dedication to the organization.
Several studies (
Ekejiuba et al., 2023
) have categorized employee commitment into three components:
This refers to an employee’s emotional attachment to, integration with, and involvement in their organization (
Bryant et al., 2021
). This emotional attachment, according to
Haque et al. (2021)
, is the degree to which employees are psychologically embedded in their organizations through feelings like warmth, belongingness, fondness, happiness, loyalty, and affection. Employees generally have affective commitment to their organizations or employers if their individual careers align with the organizational goals (
Ekejiuba et al., 2023
).
This refers to an employee’s perceived costs of leaving their organization (
Bryant et al., 2021
).
Becker (1960)
indicates that employees invest time, effort, health, money, and other resources in their organizations. Such investments strongly affect their decisions and intentions to leave or remain with their organizations. Accordingly,
Sharma and Sinha (2018)
maintain that an increase in employees’ age and tenure within organizations raises their perceived costs of leaving. Employees may also consider their pension, knowledge, job security, and unused vacation days when contemplating the decision to leave their jobs (
Sharma & Sinha, 2018
).
This reflects an employee’s obligation to stay in his or her organization (
Bryant et al., 2021
). It stems from a sense of obligation. Employees committed to their organization are more likely to be satisfied with their work. This is because commitment fosters a sense of belonging, purpose, and fulfilment, leading to higher job satisfaction. Organizational culture, rewards, punishments, and employee autonomy play a vital role in deciding the level of normative commitment (
Sharma & Sinha, 2018
). Committed employees from this perspective are more likely to go above and beyond their job requirements, exhibit higher performance levels, and contribute to the organization’s overall success.
Figure 1
presents the operational conceptual framework model, which explains the sources of research questions, objectives and hypotheses developed in the study. Experiential diversity, as the proxy for workplace diversity, affects employee commitment. The interactions in the model are designed to illustrate the contributions and effects of this proxy as linked.
2.4. Theoretical Framework
Human capital theories conceptualize employees’ skills and competencies; however,
this does not necessarily refer to their actual work. In neo-classical economics, human capital is seen as a set of abilities or characteristics that enhance an employee’s performance. This distinction is useful for differentiating between
Figure 1. Conceptual framework.
various views of human capital. Important factors in human capital theory include age, education, and mobility (costs) to attract human capital to jobs (
Zhen & Fen, 2021
). Age is particularly significant (with the peak age range being 25 to 44 years), especially among skilled migrants (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021a). Education is often regarded as the best indicator of human capital, as labour market incentives flow from returns on investments in education.
Becker (1994)
, a prominent American economist, popularized the term “human capital” to refer to an individual’s stock of knowledge, social skills, and personality traits. A good example of these attributes is creativity, which is embodied in the ability to leverage labour to produce economic value. Becker emphasized the importance of human capital and its direct usefulness in the production process (
Becker, 1994
).
The conceptual category-based definition of diversity assumes that members of a particular culture are likely to share common values and norms that define their behaviours.
2.5. Empirical Review
There are studies (
Aliyu & Abubakar, 2024
;
Keya & Rupsa, 2024
;
Jehn & Bezrukova, 2020
;
Almostadi et al., 2019
) on workplace diversity and employee performance/commitment around the world with different measures of the variables captured in this review. Some of these studies are reviewed below:
Ruigrok et al. (2020)
reported varying effects of different types of experiential diversity on team performance during the FIFA World Cup 2020 using a sample of 736 participants across 64 game performances. Similarly,
Simons and Rowland (2020)
highlighted that functional expertise and education are part of job-related diversity and can lead to organizational performance.
Alike,
Choi et al., (2021)
investigated the effect of education diversity on employee satisfaction, innovative climate, and employee competence. The research findings indicate that diversity is positively impactful on the variable viz a viz innovative climate, employee satisfaction, and competence, ultimately leading to improved operational efficiency and innovation.
Ely (2018)
highlighted that individual and group performance are positively connected to functional diversity, but bonus outcomes are negatively related to it.
Etalong et al., (2024)
examined the functionality of organizations through workplace diversity in public organizations in Southeast, Nigeria through a survey method involving 2000 respondents and found significant issue arises with the employees’ limited comprehension and recognition of diversity. The authors concluded that this could result in misunderstandings, prejudices, and disputes among employees and impaired individual performance.
According to
Dansby, Stewart, & Webb (2021)
and
Kirton & Greene (2020)
the findings of researchers on workplace diversity have produced conflicting results. There are lots and mixed and contradictory evident surrounding diversity effects (
Leonard & Levine, 2019
). The reason is that different dimensions of diversity are often seen to have different effects on team outcomes in different business and organizational contexts. Most of these studies that found a negative effect employed social identity theory as an exploratory framework, arguing that people are drawn to similar other and even work better when they are in groups whose members are similar to them. This is often called similarity attraction paradigm (
Kirton & Greene, 2020
).
Joshi and Roh (2019) reported a negative association between age diverse workplace and the group job satisfaction, and innovation. Companies that encourage and employ a diverse workplace, attract and keep high-talent employees. This increased customer loyalty, bearing in mind that customers feel connected to organization when they see and interact with people who are like themselves. They feel better doing business with that company that understands their needs. Diversity brings about an increase in innovation and creativity, improved problem clarity which in turn results in improved deliberation of alternatives and better solution to problem.
In contrast, some studies have found a positive correlation between diversity and performance (
Wegge et al., 2018
).
According to the findings of the research study by
Adler (2018)
on the effects of diverse recruitment policies on employee performance, discovered that diversity can improve performance and recruiting from a wider range of ages and ethnicities gives the firm a larger talent pool.
Adler (2018)
also found that increasing diversity expands the breadth of perspectives and ideas available to organisations in making decisions and that cultural diversity, educational, individual personalities and professional background can influence the range and depth of information use. Various studies, such as the 12-year comparison of diversity policies and programs by Carrell in her longitudinal study on Defining Workplace Diversity Programs and Practices in Organizations: In a study conducted in Spring 2020, it was found that 53% of respondents did not have a written policy or program that includes the concept of employee diversity in their organization. Only 7% of the respondents indicated that their organizations were discussing adding such a policy or program. Among companies with a diversity program, the most frequently reported activities included in the diversity program or policy were recruitment (73%) and selection (59%). This suggests that there is still a long way to go in the development of workplace diversity programs.
Maingi’s (2018)
study investigated the effect of education diversity on employee performance in Kenya: A case of Kenya School of Government. The study used a stratified sampling method to collect primary data. Questionnaires were used to gather the primary data, which were analysed by inferential statistics method. The study revealed that education diversity was the most significant factor and had a positive relationship at a 5% level of significance.
Under the experiential diversity studies,
Spanjer and van Witteloostuijn (2017)
tested and confirmed the impact of experiential diversity on entrepreneurial performance on data from the US National Labor Survey Youth 1979 and O*NET. The results show that industry experience is positively related to the entrepreneurial performance whereas entrepreneurial experience showed a negative relation. Skill-based experiential diversity impacts positively on entrepreneurial performance. Entrepreneurs having all 23 skills perform well from who have few skills.
Against the backdrop of extant related studies on workplace diversity and employee performance, it became glaring that a lacuna exists in this topic area. Specifically, the following gaps have been identified:
First, available literature on workplace diversity and employee performance dwells more in the private sector, covering educational institutions, telecommunication, manufacturing, and multinational firms. For instance,
Choi et al. (2021)
examined workplace diversity in manufacturing, while
Setati et al. (2019)
investigated workplace diversity in the educational sector. This study, therefore, considered it to be imperative to study MDAs with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, which, to the knowledge of the researcher, have received inadequate attention.
Furthermore, it is evident that limited studies (
Spanjer & van Witteloostuijn, 2017
;
Ruigrok, et al., 2020
) focused on the experiential diversity effect on other variables associated with performance such as entrepreneurial performance (
Spanjer & van Witteloostuijn, 2017
); team performance (
Ruigrok, et al., 2020
) without connecting either job satisfaction or employee commitment. With this development, the study will cross-examine experiential diversity with both job satisfaction and employee commitment in the federal ministry selected in Nigeria.
3. Methodology
The survey method is useful in presenting facts concerning the relationship between experiential diversity and employee commitment in this study. The population of this study includes 16,000 workers from six public organizations within the federal ministry, as sourced from their Human Resource Units as of August 2024. The study organizations include the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communication Satellite Limited (NigComSat), Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Galaxy Backbone, and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). The study sample size was determined to be 429 using Taro Yamane for statistically attaining sample size from a given population (Yamane, 1967), which is 16,000 for the study population. Calculations were made at 5% significance level as follows:
where n = sample size;
N = Population Size (16,000);
e = level of significance at 5% (0.0025);
1 = constant.
A minimum sample of three hundred and ninety respondents was used for the study. To cover for non-responses which is a common problem in surveys which lead to biased results if not properly addressed,
Israel (2013)
recommended that an adjustment factor of 10% - 30% be made to the calculated sample size. Therefore, 39 representing 10% of the calculated sample size were added to the sample bringing the sample size to 429 copies of the questionnaire were administered to staff members of the selected Federal Government parastatals under Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy as shown in
Table 1
. A non-probability technique-convenient sampling method was used to select the respondents. The study employed convenient sampling as the researcher selected respondents based on their availability and willingness to respond to the study.
<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.140492-"></xref>Table 1. Sample According to Selected Public Sector Organisations in Nigeria.
STUDY FIRMS
POPULATION
SAMPLE
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
1005
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
420
Nigerian Communication Satellite Limited (NigComSat).
295
Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST)
10,000
Galaxy Backbone
280
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)
4000
Total
16,000
429
Source: Researcher’s Compilation, 2024. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire.
Section A covers the demographic profile of the six MDAs staff under the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy. Section B was an adapted and modified questionnaire from the work
Chatman and Flynn (2001)
consisted of a five-item scale measuring experiential diversity (Strongly Agree, Agree, Indifferent, Disagree, Strongly Disagree), while Section C focuses on items relating to employee commitment, also comprising a five-item scale (Strongly Agree, Agree, Indifferent, Disagree, Strongly Disagree). A combination of descriptive and inferential methods will be utilized. Descriptive and quantitative techniques were adopted to present demographic and quantitative data, while inferential methods were used for organizational clarity and hypothesis testing using linear regression.
4. Model Specification
This study adopts the model specified by
Acheampong et al., (2019)
in their study on the effect of Workplace diversity on organisational performance in Higher Educational Institutions with modifications as thus;
Org eff = f(WPD) (i)
Org eff = f(JS, OC) (ii)
Org eff = f(JRD, CD, ED) (iii)
In the context of this study, the study examines experiential diversity on employee commitment.
EC = f(ED) (iv)
EC = β0 + β1ED + e
where:
EC = Employee commitment;
ED = Experiential diversity.
The apriori expectation of this study is that Experiential Diversity would have a positive + relationship with this estimate ϐ, ђ, ω > 0.
5. Results and Discussion
Details of the distribution and retrieval of copies of questionnaire are presented in
Table 2
.
<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.140492-"></xref>Table 2. Distribution and retrieval of questionnaires.
Name of Airline
Number Distributed
Number retrieved
Number not retrieved
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
27
27
0
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
11
8
0
Nigerian Communication Satellite Limited (NigComSat)
8
10
0
Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST)
268
253
15
Galaxy Backbone
8
8
0
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)
107
99
8
Total
429 (100%)
406 (94.63%)
23 (5.36%)
Source: Field Survey, 2024.
The bio-data of respondents were collected on sex, age, educational qualification, marital status and years of experience. The information is presented in
Table 3
.
The bio-data of respondents from selected staff members of Federal Government parastatals under Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy reveals a balanced gender distribution. With males constituting 51% (207 individuals) and females 49% (199 individuals), the total number of respondents stands at 406. This nearly equal representation suggests a gender-inclusive environment within these organizations. The age distribution of the respondents shows a predominance of younger individuals. The largest age group is the 31 - 40 years bracket,
<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.140492-"></xref>Table 3. Bio-data of respondents.
Characteristics
Distribution
Frequency
Percentage (%)
Sex
Male
207
51.0
Male
199
49.0
Total
406
100
Age Bracket
20 - 30 years
138
34.0
31 - 40 years
170
41.9
40 years & above
98
24.1
Total
406
100
Educational Qualification
HND/B.SC.
184
45.3
MBA/M.SC./Ph.D
222
54.7
Total
406
100
Marital Status
Single
118
29.1
Married
256
63.1
Divorced
32
7.9
Total
406
100
Years of Experience
1 - 5 years
114
28.1
6 - 10 years
174
42.9
10 years & above
118
29.1
Total
406
100
Source: Researcher’s Computations, 2024.
which comprises 41.9% (170 individuals). This is followed by the 20 - 30 years bracket at 34% (138 individuals), and finally, those aged 40 years and above constitute 24.1% (98 individuals). This indicates a relatively young workforce in these organizations.
In terms of educational qualifications, a significant majority of the respondents hold advanced degrees. Specifically, 54.7% (222 individuals) have an MBA, M.Sc., or Ph.D., while 45.3% (184 individuals) hold an HND or B.Sc. This high level of educational attainment reflects a well-qualified workforce. Regarding marital status, the majority of the respondents are married, accounting for 63.1% (256 individuals). Single individuals make up 29.1% (118 individuals), while divorced respondents constitute 7.9% (32 individuals). This suggests that a significant portion of the workforce is likely to have family responsibilities.
Finally, the data on years of experience shows a diverse range of tenure among the respondents. The largest group has 6 - 10 years of experience, representing 42.9% (174 individuals). Those with 1 - 5 years of experience make up 28.1% (114 individuals), and respondents with over 10 years of experience account for 29.1% (118 individuals). This range of experience levels suggests a mix of both relatively new and seasoned employees within these organizations.
<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.140492-"></xref>Table 4. Summary of linear regression results for exponential diversity on employee commitment.
Variables
Coefficient (β)
Std. Error
t-Statistic
Sig.
Constant
2.118
0.658
3.219
0.012*
ED
0.052
0.068
0.765
0.538
R-Squared =
0.542
Adj R-squared =
0.521
F-statistic =
4.753
F-statistic (Sig.) =
0.036
Durbin-Watson =
1.985
Source: Researcher’s Computations from SPSS 25. EC is the dependent variable. Variable entered on step 1: ED. *Denotes significance at the 5 per cent level.
The regression analysis results in
Table 4
show that the constant term in the regression model has a coefficient of 2.118, with a standard error of 0.658 and a t-statistic of 3.219, which is significant at the 5% level with a p-value of 0.012. This suggests that when all independent variable experiential diversity is held at zero, the baseline level of employee commitment (EC) is 2.118, which is statistically significant at a 5% significance level.
The R-squared value of 0.542 indicates that, even with approximately 54.2% of the variability in employee commitment, the independent variables in the model explain it. This suggests a moderate model fit, as a substantial proportion of the variation in organisational commitment is accounted for by experiential diversity ED. The F-statistic of 4.753, with a significance level of 0.036, confirms that the model is statistically significant overall. The Durbin-Watson statistic of 1.985 indicates no significant autocorrelation in the residuals, supporting the reliability of the model estimates. Overall, the model explains how experiential diversity within an organisation can impact employee commitment in the study area.
Further analysis of
Table 4
revealed that experiential diversity (ED) has a coefficient of 0.052, which is in line with expectations. However, the t-statistic of 0.765, with a p-value of 0.538; shows that ED is not a statistically significant predictor of employee commitment (EC) in the study area. The p-value 0.538 greater than 0.05 level of significant suggests that changes in experiential diversity levels do not consistently or significantly impact employee commitment (EC). While experiential diversity might introduce novel and engaging experiences in the workplace, it does not appear to directly influence how committed employees feel towards the organisation in this dataset. Therefore, we accept the null hypothesis, which states that experiential diversity does not significantly affect employee commitment in Nigerian public sector organisations and rejects its alternative.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of experiential diversity on employee commitment in Nigerian public sector organisations. The results obtained revealed that experiential diversity does not significantly affect employee commitment in Nigerian MDAs under the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, even though the effect was found to be positive. The finding that experiential diversity does not significantly affect employee commitment in Nigerian public sector organisations, despite having a positive effect, implies a complex and intricate connection between a wide range of experiences and the level of commitment demonstrated by employees towards achieving the objectives set by the organisation. Experiential diversity generally enriches an organisation by bringing different perspectives and skills. However, the lack of significant impact on employee commitment indicates that merely having diverse experiences among employees might not be sufficient to foster a strong sense of organisational unity and dedication.
One possible explanation for this could be other dominant factors that overshadow the potential benefits of experiential diversity. For instance, organisational culture, leadership style, and the effectiveness of diversity management practices might play more critical roles in shaping organisational commitment in the study area. If the organisational environment does not actively support and integrate diverse experiences, the potential benefits of experiential diversity may not be fully realised. This could lead to employees with varied backgrounds not feeling fully included or valued, weakening the potential positive impact on organisational commitment.
The studies by
Ruigrok et al. (2020)
,
De Anca and Aragón (2018)
, collectively suggest that the impact of experiential diversity on organisational outcomes can be context-dependent and influenced by various factors.
Ruigrok et al. (2020)
highlighted that the effects of experiential diversity on team performance varied during the FIFA World Cup, indicating that while experiential diversity might have potential benefits, these benefits are not always significant across different settings.
De Anca and Aragón (2018)
emphasised the complexity of diversity’s impact, suggesting that effective management and integration of experiential diversity are crucial for realising its positive effects.
Magoshi and Chang (2009)
found that diversity management practices significantly influence organisational commitment through perceptions of procedural justice, underscoring the importance of effective management practices in harnessing the benefits of diversity.
Bushiri (2014)
highlighted the need for a supportive working environment to improve employee performance, indicating that experiential diversity alone might not significantly impact organizational commitment without conducive conditions.
Ehimare and Ogaga-Oghene (2011)
established correlations between diversity variables and organisational performance, aligning with experiential diversity's positive but insignificant effect on organisational commitment in Nigerian public sector organisations. Overall, these studies suggest that while experiential diversity has potential benefits, its impact on organisational commitment is significantly influenced by management practices and the organisational environment.
6. Conclusion and Recommendation
Based on the findings of this research, experiential diversity has positively, though insignificantly, affected employee commitment among the Federal Government parastatals under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. This indicates that having diverse experiences alone is insufficient to foster strong organizational unity and dedication without effective management practices and a supportive environment. The study recommends that organisations encourage a knowledge-sharing culture, allowing employees to benefit from their colleagues’ diverse experiences and expertise. Such an environment can lead to increased organisational commitment and innovation.
The study provides valuable insights into how experiential diversity impacts employee commitment in the Nigerian public sector, specifically within Federal Government agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. It highlights the challenges and opportunities for managing diversity within public organisations. Therefore, additional research could broaden its scope to encompass a wider array of federal ministries and parastatals beyond the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. This expanded scope would facilitate a better understanding of how workplace diversity impacts organisational performance across various public sector organisations in Nigeria, thereby offering more widely applicable and comprehensive insights.
In addition to the communication sector, future research could explore a comparative analysis of experiential diversity and employee performance in Nigeria’s other sectors, such as agriculture, education, and oil and gas. This would help establish a more explicit framework for research in the field of human resource management.
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