A structural equation model of the effects of diversity characteristics and inclusion on organizational outcomes in the child welfare workforce

•The study investigates the effects of diversity characteristics and organizational inclusion on organizational outcomes among public child welfare workers.•Also, the mediating role of organizational commitment (OR job satisfaction) between workers' organizational inclusion and turnover intention was discovered and identified.•Evidence for the causal precedence of job satisfaction over organizational commitment was found using a SEM.•Practical implications for enhancing diversity management and organizational commitment in child welfare workforce were discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of diversity characteristics and organizational inclusion on organizational outcomes (e.g., organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and intention to leave) among public child welfare workers. The study used secondary data collected from public child welfare workers across a diversified Mid-Atlantic state. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the conceptual model. The results indicated that workers' higher perceptions of inclusion resulted in significantly higher levels of organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Furthermore, higher levels of workers' organizational commitment played a role in significantly reducing their intention to leave. The findings of the study provide practical implications for enhancing diversity management and organizational commitment, including instituting more participative decision-making structures and processes, and creating more accessible organizational information networks.