Does firm diversity-enhancement program bundle matter? Firm performance dimensions, employee ownership program, and environmental technological opportunity

Research on diversity programs provides inconclusive knowledge regarding their effect on firm performance. In this study, we build on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity framework to examine the relationship between firm diversity-enhancement program bundle and firm performance. Based on a dataset covering 2,794 U.S. publicly listed firms over 15 years, we find support for our hypothesis that firm diversity-enhancement program bundle results in a greater pay-off when it is coupled with a stronger employee ownership program at the firm level or a greater technological opportunity at the industry level. Furthermore, the pay-off is greatest when a firm’s diversity-enhancement program bundle, its employee ownership program, and its environmental technological opportunity are all high. Overall, our study provides nuanced theoretical and empirical accounts regarding a firm’s integrated diversity-enhancement efforts. It also provides novel managerial implications regarding when firms can reap the most benefit from their integrated diversity-enhancement efforts.