Date of Conferral

4-21-2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Sheryl Kristensen

Abstract

Unlocking the potential of highly skilled first-generation immigrant women in the workplace is critical in an era of globalization and multiculturalism. The social problem is that organizations face challenges integrating highly skilled first-generation immigrant women into the U.S. workforce due to a limited understanding of effective workplace integration strategies. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of highly skilled first-generation Kenyan women with workplace integration strategies in California. The study was grounded in Graen and Uhl-Bien’s leader-member exchange theory and Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory to understand how leadership relationships and intersecting identities shaped workplace experiences. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 highly skilled first-generation Kenyan women employed in California. Participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling to achieve data saturation. Six themes emerged from the interpretative phenomenological analysis: (a) workplace integration experiences, (b) strategies and processes, (c) identity negotiation, (d) challenges and barriers, (e) coping and navigation, and (f) leader dynamics and relationships. Findings indicated that workplace integration was a relational and identity-mediated process shaped by access to leadership, structural constraints, and adaptive strategies. The implications for positive social change include the potential for organizational leaders to adopt relational leadership practices, implement identity-aware processes, and strengthen supportive integration structures that foster equitable inclusion, meaningful engagement, and sustained participation among highly skilled immigrant women.

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