Date of Conferral

2-8-2024

Date of Award

February 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Derek Rohde

Abstract

Black women face unique barriers due to their intersectional identities of being both Black and female that hinder them from building their leadership capacities. Leadership development is one way to support Black women into leadership; however, such initiatives were not built with intersectional identities and associated needs in mind. This study was grounded in intersectionality theory, which posits that the effects of intersectional identities cannot be separated because intersectional individuals live at the intersection of larger oppressive systems and may experience unique forms of oppression that are not captured through single-axis approaches. This nonexperimental quantitative study includes an examination of the relationship between perceptions of psychological safety and leadership development outcomes at the individual (e.g., increased self-confidence) and organizational (e.g., increased innovativeness) levels, and whether such a relationship differs based on an individual’s intersectional identity, specifically race and gender. Findings showed that psychological safety had a significant positive relationship with both outcome levels. Findings also showed that gender and race as intersectional identities had an effect on the relationship between psychological safety and leadership program outcomes at the organizational level, but not on the individual level. The results of this study could be used by organizations to best develop Black women so they can finally fully participate, resulting in more diverse and inclusive leadership teams. Issues of gender and race have been solid forces for positive social change within organizations and this research contributes to social change by giving a voice to a group of people who have been traditionally marginalized.

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