Title: The Impact Of Workplace Diversity On Growth Of Manufacturing Firms In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Authors: Adiela Joy Lucky, Ph.D, Happiness Chioma Wokocha, Ph.D, Anwuri Blessing Ndalu, Ph.D, Ndomokidem Myra Sokari, Ph.D,
Volume: 10
Issue: 4
Pages: 200-213
Publication Date: 2026/04/28
Abstract:
The study investigates the impact of workplace diversity on the growth of manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The study was anchored on social identity theory by Tajfel and Turner (1979). The study adopted the survey research design, and the population comprised 196 selected workers of the 98 registered manufacturing companies in Port Harcourt. The census sampling technique was adopted; thus, the entire population were the respondents of the study, and data were generated through a well-structured questionnaire and analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics, percentages, and means, while the stated hypotheses were tested using regression analyses, individual tests, and probability values at a 5% confidence level. The study found that gender diversity has a positive and significant effect on market growth, age diversity has a positive and significant effect on process growth, and religion diversity also has a positive and significant effect on operational growth of manufacturing companies in Port Harcourt. Overall, it was observed that workplace diversity has a significant effect on the growth of manufacturing companies in Port Harcourt. In light of these findings, the study recommended, among others, that (a) gender, age, and religion diversities should be highly embraced in the recruitment and management of staff to utilize their creativity and innovative contributions towards achieving organizational goals. (b) Employees' work teams should be open to character diversity as well in building team goal attainment strategies. (c) Work team diversity should be part of the corporate personnel recruitment policy. (d) Companies' human resource management should harness all forms of diversity in building firms' corporate work goals.