The demographic composition of United States is changing, in terms of race, the minority is becoming the majority. This demographic shift creates a more diverse workforce, which increases executive-level opportunities for Black professionals at corporate organizations. However, data indicates that very few Black Executive’s leaderships styles ay global corporate organizations.
The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of Black Executives in a corporate environment, including their leadership style. Phenomenological inquiry was used to collect for the study. Five Black male and five black female executives from a global corporate organizations were interviewed to gain insights into their experiences. The date was analyzed and coded into five thematic categories: Tokenism, Leadership, Intersectionality, Diversity, and Emotional Reactions. The findings support the following conclusions (1) Black Executives’ do not seem themselves as tokens, (2) Black Executives identify as authenthic and transformational leaders, (3) Black Executive’s performance and qualifications are judge differently before they are elevated to an executive and during their time as an executive, and (4) there is lack of support resources for Black executives.
The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of Black Executives in a corporate environment, including their leadership style. Phenomenological inquiry was used to collect for the study. Five Black male and five black female executives from a global corporate organizations were interviewed to gain insights into their experiences. The date was analyzed and coded into five thematic categories: Tokenism, Leadership, Intersectionality, Diversity, and Emotional Reactions. The findings support the following conclusions (1) Black Executives’ do not seem themselves as tokens, (2) Black Executives identify as authentic and transformational leaders, (3) Black Executive’s performance and qualifications are judge differently before they are elevated to an executive and during their time as an executive, and (4) there is lack of support resources for Black executives.
This study advances the discussion on tokenism, particularly regarding black Black Executives. The study identifies the experience of Black Executives in line with Relative Depravation Theory, which resulted in the creation of a potential additional theory entitled Corporate Resources Depravation Theory, which posits that Black executives feel it is the lack of support resources that impacts their ability to be successful and resent the fact that they do not get the same suite of support resources as White Executives. The study and potential theory provide information that may help support the success of Black Executives incorporations working to advance diversity at the executive levels of their organization.