Sponsor
Portland State University. Department of Psychology
First Advisor
Jason G. Randall
Term of Graduation
Spring 2026
Date of Publication
6-9-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Applied Psychology
Department
Psychology
Language
English
Subjects
Diversity management, Diversity training, HR practices, Pre-training motivation, Self-determination theory, Strategic management
Physical Description
1 online resource (vi, 113 pages)
Abstract
Diversity training is a key part of diversity management efforts, but its effectiveness has repeatedly been called into question in both academic and applied spaces, leading many to question its utility. In the case of voluntary diversity training (VDT), where employees can opt in or out of participation, those motivated to attend might not be the ones who would most benefit from participating, thereby limiting the effectiveness of VDT for the organization. As a result, understanding the predictors and outcomes of employee motives to attend VDT can guide improved implementation and evaluation of VDT. Informed by self-determination theory and training motivation research, a novel theoretical framework of employee motivation to attend VDT that identifies and distinguishes between individual, organizational, and societal influences is introduced and empirically tested. Key questions of interest include whether the multi-level influences predict motivation to attend VDT, the relative importance of each influence for predicting motivation to attend VDT, and the distal effects on training outcomes. Using data gathered from a non-profit organization (N = 11) and Prolific (N = 242), I found that pre-training self-efficacy was positively associated with motivation to attend VDT indirectly through psychological need satisfaction. Additionally, individual influences predicted the most variance in motivation to attend VDT, followed by organizational and societal influences, with training utility as the strongest predictor. Implications for diversity training researchers and practitioners include the need to identify and implement broader strategic roots to justify the implementation of diversity training and clearly communicating about key aspects of the training with employees. Insights from this work may help equip researchers and practitioners to improve the effectiveness of VDT by examining various aspects of pre-training motivation.
Rights
© 2026 Henri T. Maindidze
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44985
Recommended Citation
Maindidze, Henri T., "Why Am I Here? Individual, Organizational, & Societal Influences of Employee Motives to Attend Voluntary Diversity Training and Their Effects on Training Outcomes" (2026). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 7160.