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This study seeks to assess the state-of-the-art on the workplace diversity – firm performance relationship. Based on a review of academic research on workplace diversity and firm performance published in nine leading journals in the field of management during the period 2000-2009, it addresses the following research questions: a. How are diversity and firm performance constructs defined? b. What are the findings of research linking workplace diversity and firm performance? c. What factors mediate and/or moderate the diversity-performance relationship? Based on the findings of extant research, we develop a model to explain and interpret the diversity – firm performance relationship, and understand its implications.

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Whilst the Hackman and Oldham job characteristics model (JCM) continues to attract research attention, including questions about its factorial structure, very few have questioned its comprehensiveness. The model pos:ulates five job dimensions, but it is questioned whether these arc necessary and sufficient for the development of the outcomes which the model predicts. This study investigates the effect of including a sixth dimension, a measure of person-task match called selfexpression. Data from two surveys of public sector employm (n = 170 and n = 160) were used to test the hypotheses that self-expression will make a unique contribution to the variance explained in both job satisfaction and job involvement beyond that explained by the five job characteristics of task identity, task significance, autonomy, skill variety, and feedback and that self-expression will be a stronger influence on job involvement than it will be on job satisfaction. The hypotheses were partly supported, with self-expression tending to show stronger relationships with job involvement than with job satisfaction. These results support O' Brien's (1985) argument that the JCM is not comprehensive without the inclusion of a person-task match variable.