In: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety: EES ; official journal of the International Society of Ecotoxicology and Environmental safety, Band 189, S. 109996
PurposeThis study deals with the issue of how ethnic diversity on boards in a given firm may influence its performance in human resource management (HRM). Moreover, the study also tests the interaction between ethnic diversity and gender diversity and examines their joint effect on HRM.Design/methodology/approachBased on prior research, we predict that, with increasing demographic diversity in organizations today, ethnic diversity on boards should have a positive effect on HRM. Moreover, gender diversity, as a most visible dimension of demographic diversity, should have both a direct positive effect and an indirect moderating effect on the relationship between ethnic diversity and HRM. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses.FindingsOur data analyses show empirical evidence supporting our predictions. First, our study shows that employer–employee relationship can be influenced by ethnic diversity on boards. Second, the foregoing analyses highlight the importance of considering the interaction between different dimensions of demographic diversity, such as that between ethnic and gender diversity. With a higher level of gender diversity on boards, the positive effect of ethnic diversity on HRM can become more salient.Originality/valueThis research tests the benefits of ethnic diversity on boards for improving firms' performance in HRM, thus making a contribution by helping to understand the effects of ethnic diversity in a more comprehensive way. We also document the beneficial moderating effects of gender diversity on boards for the first time.
PurposeThe aim of this paper is to develop a tool measuring individual intellectual capital (IIC) and investigate the relationship between self-reflection and IIC.Design/methodology/approachThis study developed a theoretical model based on social cognitive theory and the literature of self-reflection and intellectual capital (IC). This research collected responses from 502 dyads of employees and their direct supervisors in 150 firms in China, and the study tested the research model using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe results indicate that three components of self-reflection, namely, need for self-reflection, engagement in self-reflection and insight, significantly contribute to all the three components of IIC, such as individual human capital, individual structural capital and individual relational capital. The findings suggest that need for self-reflection is the weakest component to impact individual human capital and individual relationship capital, while insight is the one that mostly enhances individual structural capital.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests that managers can enhance employees' IIC by facilitating their self-reflection. Managers can develop appropriate strategies based on findings of this study, to achieve their specific goals.Originality/valueFirst, this study develops a tool for measuring IIC. Second, this study provides an enriched theoretical explanation on the relationship between self-reflection and IIC – by showing that the three subdimensions of self-reflection, such as need, engagement and insight, influence the three subdimensions of IIC, such as individual human capital, individual structural capital and individual relational capital.