Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Amy Hakim

Abstract

AbstractAsian Americans are the most diverse and fastest-growing minority group in the U.S. and have the highest average level of education of all minority and dominant groups in America making up 6.2 % of the labor market. However, Asian Americans overall hold one percent of the executive leadership roles in Fortune 500 organizations. Low leadership representation leaves this demographic without a decision-making voice and without power in society. The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn about the lived experiences of Asian American women (AAW) leaders and potential leaders as it pertains to race, gender, and stereotypes in the workplace along with learning about their leadership style, model leader characteristics, and any career support they received. The theoretical framework used was from Crenshaw’s Intersectionality framework and Biernat’s Shifting Standards Theory (SST) for analyzing AAW experiences. Data were collected through qualitative interviews of 19 Asian American women (AAW), between the ages of 18-65 years old, who worked in U.S. organizations and analyzed through descriptive thematic coding. The resulting themes were: (a) Experiences of race, gender, and stereotyping of AAW (b) Leadership qualities of AAW (c) Career Support (d) Family background (e) Positive social change implications. This research is relevant to Organizational Psychology, Occupational Health, and Management Theory in terms of personnel diversity, competitive advantage, organizational leadership equality, and worker retention. The study results intend to bring awareness about the AAW experience and suggest future research and recommendations for positive social change support of AAW as executive leaders in U.S. organizations and government roles.

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