Assessing Diversity across Cultures: A U.S.-Hispanic Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare workplace diversity perceptions between a US and Hispanic population. This study used the diversity perceptions of a sample of US business students and compared them with a sample of Hispanics using the Reaction to Diversity Inventory (RDI). The means of both samples were tested for significant differences at the p<.05 level using SPSS. A statistically significant difference was noted between the US sample and the Hispanic sample. The data analysis showed a between groups sum of squares=5892.35 and significance at p<.000 level. This study suggests that Hispanic perceptions of diversity are quite different than may be intuitively perceived or portrayed in the literature. The study also reinforces what is already stated in the literature, that collecting and analyzing perceptions can help determine if an organization’s workplace is viable to support diversity initiatives. This study is one among a limited collection of research on Hispanic perceptions of diversity behaviors in the US workforce and illustrates how cultural values of majority-minority populations can potentially impact the design and implementation of diversity initiatives, especially within a global workforce environment.