Does Inclusion Drive Motivation? Evidence from Public Education Institutions

Abstract

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have become increasingly important in public-sector organizations, yet limited empirical attention has been given to whether DEI climate is associated with employee motivation in public education institutions. Existing research largely links inclusive workplace climates to outcomes such as well-being, participation, psychological safety, commitment and engagement, but the direct motivational relevance of DEI climate remains underexplored, especially in resource-constrained public-sector education contexts where financial incentives and promotion opportunities may be limited. This study examines the relationship between DEI climate and employee motivation using survey data from 113 employees drawn from public education institutions across multiple regional education jurisdictions. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was applied using ADANCO 2.4.1 to assess the measurement and structural models. The findings show a positive relationship between DEI climate and employee motivation, with DEI climate explaining 32.5% of the variance in motivation. The structural model indicates that DEI climate has a substantively meaningful positive association with motivation (β = 0.5705), while the effect size is large (f² = 0.4824). These findings suggest that employees who perceive their workplace as fair, inclusive and respectful are more likely to report stronger motivation. The study contributes to DEI, organizational behavior and public-sector management literature by positioning DEI climate not only as a policy or compliance issue, but also as a non-financial workplace condition associated with employee motivation. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of inclusive leadership, equitable treatment, employee voice and respectful institutional climates in sustaining motivation within public education institutions. Given the cross-sectional design and measurement limitations, future research should test this relationship using larger samples, longitudinal designs and expanded models incorporating mediating mechanisms such as psychological safety, perceived organizational support or workplace belonging.

Keywords: Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); employee motivation; public education institutions; workplace inclusion; organizational behavior; public-sector management; PLS-SEM; employee engagement