The impact of organizational performance on the emergence of Asian American leaders

Despite remarkably high levels of education and income, Asian Americans remain underrepresented at the top of the organizational hierarchy. Existing work suggests that a mismatch between the prototypical characteristics of business leaders (e.g., dominance) and stereotypes associated with Asian Americans (e.g., submissiveness) lowers the likelihood that Asian Americans will emerge as leaders. We predict that this reluctance to appoint Asian Americans will be attenuated when organizations experience performance decline because decision makers believe Asian Americans are inclined to sacrifice their self-interest to improve the welfare of others. We found support for these predictions using a multimethod approach. In an archival study of 4,951 CEOs across five decades, we find that Asian Americans were appointed almost two-and-a-half times more often during decline than nondecline (Study 1). Then, in three studies, we show that this pattern occurs because evaluators (a) prefer self-sacrificing leaders more when organizations are experiencing decline than success (Study 2); (b) expect Asian Americans leaders to behave in self-sacrificing ways in general (Study 3); and, consequently, (c) perceive that Asian Americans are better equipped to be leaders during decline than success (Study 4). We consider these findings in tandem with a set of exploratory analyses. This includes our finding that organizations experience decline only 12% of the time, suggesting that evaluators deem Asian Americans to be suitable leaders in circumstances that occur infrequently and are short-lived

Examining the divergent effects of perceived inclusion of ethnic minorities on majority and minority groups’ inter-ethnic responses

This study examines the paradoxical effects of a perceived inclusive environment for ethnic minorities. We argue that while perceptions of an inclusive environment may be associated with more positive intergroup attitudes and affect among minority groups, they may instill a sense of threat among the majority group, resulting in negative intergroup sentiments and attitudes towards minorities. We analyzed data from two waves of a nationally representative survey conducted in the Netherlands (ntotal = 11,897) comprising minority and majority groups. We find support for the proposed paradoxical relationship between the perceived inclusionary climate towards minorities and the attitudes of the majority and minority groups. The results indicate that when perceiving the national climate to be more inclusive towards minorities, the majority group tends to report higher levels of ethnocentrism, avoid direct inter-ethnic contact, and oppose ethnic diversity in general. Among minority groups, a perceived inclusive climate is linked to lower levels of ethnocentrism and a higher willingness to engage in inter-ethnic interactions with the majority group. The results unexpectedly also show that the perception of an inclusionary climate is positively related to opposition to increased ethnic diversity among minority groups. We discuss theoretical and societal implications, while also considering the contextual relevance and limitations of our approach.</p

Diversiteitsideologieën in organisaties: verleden, heden en toekomst

Als gevolg van toenemende diversiteit hebben veel organisaties een beleid dat gebaseerd is op hun visie op dit verschijnsel: ze hebben een diversiteitsideologie. Deze literatuurstudie presenteert een systematisch overzicht van onderzoek naar verschillende diversiteitsideologieën. Thema's als het effect van diversiteitsideologieën op relaties tussen groepen en op zelfpercepties van individuen komen aan bod. Ook wordt aandacht besteed aan de vraag onder welke omstandigheden en voor welke demografische groepen een specifieke ideologie voor bepaalde uitkomsten zorgt. Inzichten uit recente literatuur worden gebruikt om uitspraken te doen over de vraag welke ideologieën het meest effectief zijn in multi-etnische organisaties. Hoewel de literatuur met name over etnisch-culturele diversiteit gaat, wordt hier ook aandacht besteed aan de manier waarop diversiteitsideologieën andere demografische doelgroepen van diversiteitsbeleid (bijv. vrouwen en oudere werknemers) beïnvloeden. Tot slot komen ook mogelijke toekomstige richtingen voor het onderzoek naar diversiteitsideologieën aan bod