Chin, J. L. (2013). Diversity leadership: influence of ethnicity, gender, and minority status. Open
Journal of Leadership, 2 (1), 1-10.
Professor Chin reviews several leadership studies to find the effects of race and ethnicity on leadership. According to Chin (2013), “Leadership research is often silent about how race and ethnicity influence the exercise of leadership and does not include the experiences of racial/ethnic minority leaders”, (p. 1). A leader’s racial and ethnic background may inform how they lead in response to the barriers they have experienced.
Working and advancing their careers in a dominant culture may have impacted how they interacted with colleagues in their workplace. Chin discovered, “Diverse leaders of color and women leaders were more likely to feel challenges to their leadership, and to feel expectations that they conform to stereotypic racial/ethnic or gender roles, creating a different context for their leadership”, (p. 9). How effectively would leaders of color perform if they only brought part of themselves to work? Without the support to authentically lead their teams, they were left to create a false self to survive. According to Chin (2013), “More energy is spent having to prove themselves and negotiating the negative impact on performance appraisals”, (p. 9). Performance appraisals will often determine career advancement opportunities, so assimilation became a viable option for many leaders of color.
L2: Demonstrate the ability to assess complex organizational environments and achieve communicative goals.
L4: Apply communication-centered scholarship to strengthen communication effectiveness.
D1: Iteratively develop inter-professional leadership competencies.
D4: Be equipped to influence change.
Keywords: women of color, Black women leaders, leadership opportunities, management advancement, sponsorship, mentorship
