Moving beyond minimal compliance: Institutional factors that predict extensiveness of affirmative action programs in universities.

Abstract

Affirmative action initiatives are often imposed on organizations by external authorities such as local, state and federal governments. Previous research shows that the existence of affirmative action offices and compliance officers in organizations are correlated with dependence on federal government mandates or funding. Little empirical research, however, attempts to identify predictors of whether organizations only adopt token affirmative action gestures (e.g., non-discrimination policy statements), on the one hand, or, on the other, adopt extensive initiatives (e.g., programs that link performance appraisal reviews with affirmative action goals). This dissertation examines the contribution of various institutional predictors of the extensiveness of affirmative action initiatives in universities. While previous explanations focused on the power of material resources to influence affirmative action efforts, this dissertation also examines normative institutional forces as potential predictors of the extensiveness of universities' affirmative action programs. A national survey examining the influence of ties to the federal government, normative pressures, top management support and centralization on extensiveness of affirmative action initiatives resulted in responses from 165 universities. Results of the survey indicate that federal funding, staff membership in affirmative action professional organizations and top management support by the University President are significant predictors of the extensiveness of affirmative action programs. These results have both practical and theoretical implications. Results support propositions from the innovation, institutional and resource dependence theory literatures on organizational change. From an applied standpoint, the results suggest that government funding is an effective tool to promote compliance with affirmative action mandates. In addition, affirmative action staff membership in professional organizations appears to enhance program extensiveness perhaps through both normative pressures and the provision of new program ideas. Finally, executive support for affirmative action is an essential ingredient in implementing more extensive affirmative action programs.