Is 'white' the only color of success?
By Marilyn Gardner
October 31,2005 The Christian Science Monitor
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http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1031/p13s01-wmgn.html
During her years as an attorney for one of the top
international law firms in the
looked forward to defending clients. But sometimes she was
not given the chance.
"When it came time for an opportunity to represent Fortune
500 companies on huge cases, even though I might have had
trial experience over and above my white male colleagues,
they were chosen," says Ms. Williams, who is African-
American.
In an age of diversity, when many companies point with pride
to their multicultural workforce, a sobering reality remains:
Minority professionals often find their career ambitions
thwarted by hidden bias - what workplace experts call the new
face of discrimination. "Acting white," they say, can be the
price of promotion in a business world where white men
account for 98 percent of CEOs and 95 percent of top earners
in Fortune 500 companies. Diversity does not always extend to
the executive suite.
"Minorities are getting stuck in the early stretches of
career structures," says economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett, whose
study of minority professionals appears in the November
Harvard Business Review. "They are not getting promoted and
advanced at a rate commensurate with their weight in the
talent pool."
In a survey of more than 1,600 minority professionals, Dr.
Hewlett and
sterling credentials can be overshadowed by personal and
cultural traits. Everything from cornrows, ethnic jewelry,
animated hand gestures, and certain manicures can leave
colleagues thinking, "You're different."
Forty years ago, it was very easy to see prejudice, Hewlett
notes. "People wore it on their sleeve and enshrined it in
law. Today, it's much more subtle, but it's pervasive.
Whether it's a tone of voice or hairstyle or accent, the
cumulative impact can be brutal and can derail a career."
The study comes just weeks after Neil French, the creative
director of WPP Group, reportedly explained the small ranks
of female advertising directors by saying that "they don't
deserve to make it to the top" because of their family
obligations. He resigned over the flap.
While the proverbial glass ceiling remains one obstacle for
women and minorities, Hewlett identifies another barrier - a
"Jell-O floor" that keeps them mired in negative stereotypes.
Over 40 percent of minority professional women in large
corporations say they feel excluded and constrained by "style
compliance" - the need to blend into a corporate culture
dominated by white men. More than a third of minority men
feel the same way.
"The pressure is added for minority professionals because we
don't necessarily come from the same background as those in
leadership positions, and we haven't had the same
experiences," says Williams, a vice president of Sears in
A quarter of minority businesswomen worry that they are
perceived as "affirmative action" hires. In addition, nearly
a third of minority female executives are concerned that
their speaking style labels them as lacking leadership
potential.
"Asian women executives were convinced that they weren't
commanding enough in their tone of voice, and were not
assertive," says Hewlett. "African-American managers were
quite sure they spoke too loudly, were too threatening."
One woman, a native of
a Fortune 500 company, learned that colleagues regarded her
as quiet. "There are people who talk just to be talking,"
says the woman, who asks not to be identified to protect her
job. "That's not my style. People said, 'She's quiet.'
Management perceived that I didn't have leadership quality.
Eventually people said, 'But when she says something, it's
valuable.' The last few years, I haven't heard them talk
about this 'quiet' thing."
Both whites and minorities must adapt, she says. "People like
me coming to Western society and working here have to figure
out that there are certain things you have to do, that you
have to project certain things. That becomes part of the norm
of being a successful professional leader."
Referring to Americans' views of professionals from
she says, "There's a stereotype that they're very good
technically, you can rely on them, but they're not really the
leaders of tomorrow." Yet she is encouraged by changes at her
firm. "They're looking for diversity candidates like me who
can grow."
Invisibility - not being heard or seen - remains an issue for
women of color, says Ella Bell, an associate professor of
business at
her point, it will just plop. A white male will pick it up
and all of a sudden it's bells and whistles." White women
might have similar experiences, she adds, but not to the same
degree.
Professor Bell also notes a reverse challenge: "You become
visible when they need an affirmative action poster child to
show that they're making a good attempt to connect to
minority communities. That kind of visibility doesn't
contribute to the bottom line, so it doesn't help when it
comes to promotions."
Another form of invisibility occurs outside the office. To a
much greater degree than their white peers, minority
professionals spend off-hours doing charitable work. One-
quarter are religious leaders. Nearly 30 percent are mentors
to needy young people. Forty percent engage in a variety of
social outreach activities. Yet many remain silent at work
about this service.
"The work they do in minority communities, which is
leadership, is very important, but their corporate managers
never know about it,"
Meanwhile, John Doe, who happens to be Caucasian, is on the
Hewlett tells of a young woman who formed Girl Scout troops
at homeless shelters in
award at the White House for her work but had not told her
boss about it.
"She was afraid to," Hewlett says. "She thought it would
imply that a homeless shelter was the kind of background she
came from, and she didn't want to be stuck with that label."
Being open about outside activities can bring rewards. When
Sears hired Williams as chief compliance and ethics officer,
she was told that part of the reason she was hired was
because she was both a successful lawyer and an ordained
Baptist minister. "The general counsel said to me, 'Who
better to be the conscience of the company than a lawyer and
a minister in one person?' If people really felt free to let
corporate
outside their 9-to-5 jobs, that can be an enhancement to
their performance on the job."
Williams, who counts fewer than five minority CEOs of Fortune
500 companies, sees progress. But, she adds, "We still have a
long way to go."
Eral Burks, CEO of Minority Executive Search in
also finds bias camouflaged.
"Companies talk about bringing on more minority board members
and senior executive staff, but they're always finding
excuses why they won't hire a prospective candidate," he
says. "They weren't really interested in hiring, but it looks
good that they brought people in. A lot of companies don't
think there are qualified minority candidates."
Some firms are designing strategies to combat hidden bias.
These include benefits that serve extended families.
Pointing out that minorities have spending power, Mr. Burks
says, "They're going to be buying your product or service.
They're starting to look at companies and say, 'Why should we
spend our money here if your senior staff looks a totally
different color?' "
Some CEOs, he adds, "are becoming aware that it makes good
business sense to get senior-level staff on their team.
They're very positive about wanting to hire more executive
minorities and women candidates."
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